Satheesan slams CM for providing political cover to Antony Raju

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Saturday lambasted Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for providing a ministerial berth to Antony Raju, disregarding the Opposition’s objections and knowing full well that he was an accused in a serious case of evidence-tampering and fabrication.  

Talking to the media at Kattappana in the wake of a court in Thiruvananthapuram convicting Mr. Raju in the case, Mr. Satheesan accused the Chief Minister of giving Mr. Raju political cover, allowing him to contest the elections and, later, inducting him into his Cabinet.  

“The Chief Minister attempted to protect the accused. A person charged with such a serious crime should never have been given an Assembly seat, let alone a ministerial berth. Protection of accused in cases is what the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) are doing even now,” he said, accusing the CPI(M) of providing protection to the accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case.  

Youth Congress activists protested in front of the Secretariat demanding Mr. Raju’s resignation as MLA. Congress workers also tried to block the vehicle of Mr. Raju at Nedumangad following which the police forcibly removed them to defuse tension.