Political theatre unfolds after Surendran’s questioning by SIT in the Sabarimala gold theft case

Some governmental theatre unfolded connected Tuesday aft quality broke that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala golden theft had questioned erstwhile Devaswom Board Minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State committee member, Kadakampally Surendran. 

Television camera crews mobbed Mr. Surendran successful Thiruvananthapuram, prompting him to petition calm. “I answered SIT’s questions,” helium said. 

Mr. Surendran dodged pointed questions astir whether helium had blamed erstwhile Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A. Padmakumar, different CPI(M) leader, who is presently connected judicial remand connected charges of causing an undue pecuniary vantage to the main suspect, Unnikrishnan Potti, and, reciprocally, causing a nonaccomplishment to the nationalist exchequer. Mr. Surendran besides refused to reply whether helium had immoderate anterior acquaintance with Mr. Potti. 

Hours later, journalists mobbed Mr. Padmakumar erstwhile the SIT produced him astatine the Enquiry Commissioner and Special Judge, Vigilance, overseeing the case.

Earlier, Mr. Padmakumar had stirred contention by dropping hints astir the alleged relation of immoderate “saintly higher-up” successful the crime. When asked whether helium meant Mr. Surendran, Mr. Padmakumar remarked somewhat cryptically, “Neither eaters of dormant soma nor hunting dogs. Ayyappa knows the truth.” 

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) had turned its guns connected Mr. Surendran and, by extension, the CPI(M), for the crime, making the ungraded the cardinal level of its section assemblage campaign.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan accused Mr. Surendran of repeatedly hosting Mr. Potti, thereby allegedly giving the premier fishy successful the lawsuit a salient relation successful Sabarimala nether the erstwhile Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. UDF societal media accounts besides shared photos of Mr. Potti alongside Mr. Surendran, mostly astatine foundation events. Mr. Surendran subsequently sued Mr. Satheesan for liaison. 

Mr. Satheesan accused the authorities of delaying the SIT’s questioning of Mr. Surendran for months, fearing a setback successful the section assemblage elections.

Senior Congress person Ramesh Chennithala said the names of much “big sharks” would look successful the nationalist domain. 

Law Minister P. Rajeeve said the SIT would screen each aspects of the lawsuit and that the signaling of statements did not needfully connote culpability for the crime. 

On Monday, CPI(M) State caput M.V. Govindan underscored that the enactment would instrumentality enactment against its governmental appointees connected committee the TDB based connected the last report. He said the CPI(M) would support nary one, and media witch hunts and absorption attacks would not unit its hand.