Judicial probe against Central agencies “unfortunate”, says Rajnath Singh

PTI, Mar 28, 2021, 12:07 PM IST

Thiruvananthapuram: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the Kerala government’s decision to recommend a judicial inquiry against central probe agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the gold and dollar smuggling cases, was “unfortunate” and amounts to challenging the federal structure of the Constitution.

Singh, who is in Kerala to campaign for the BJP-NDA candidates in the April 6 Assembly polls, also said the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented only after taking all the communities into confidence.

The UCC is there in the BJP manifesto.

“We will take all the communities into confidence and go forward. We are firm on that decision”, Singh told reporters here.

On the rising fuel prices, he said the Centre had requested all the states to reduce the state duty on petrol.

On the smuggling cases, he said: “I came to know that the case is being probed by the ED and then a judicial commission has been appointed against the central agency. It’s very unfortunate. This means the state government is challenging the federal structure of the Constitution. This is 100 percent against the constitution.”

The CPI(M)-led LDF government had recently decided to order a judicial inquiry against the central agencies, including ED, for allegedly “derailing the probe” in the gold smuggling and dollar scams, days after the Kerala Crime Branch registered an FIR against some ED officials.

While the gold scam relates to the seizure of about 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crore from diplomatic baggage at Thiruvananthapuram International airport in July 2020, the dollar smuggling case pertains to the alleged smuggling of USD 1,90,000 (equivalent to Rs1.30 crore) by a former finance head of the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram to Muscat in Oman.

Besides the ED, the Customs and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) are also inquiring into the scams.

Attacking both the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), Singh said even with 100 percent literacy, Kerala is behind other states in various sectors.

“The main reason is that even after seven decades after independence, the state cannot come out of the clutches of LDF and UDF. The state needs a new political alternative and only BJP can give it. UDF and LDF are playing friendly matches. Either the LDF or the UDF wins the match but the people are getting defeated. In Kerala, the Congress and communists are fighting but 2,000 km away, they are fighting us together,” Singh said.

Both the fronts were giving false promises and failed to understand the aspiration of the people of Kerala.

TheLDF should come with an action taken report on their promises rather than giving false hope to the people, he said, adding the appeasement policies of the two fronts had taken Kerala away from the path of development.

The minister also attacked senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and said he always assures to form a separate ministry for fishermen in Delhi.

“Perhaps he doesn’t know that Modi ji has already formed a ministry back in 2019,” Singh said.

The Union Minister, who held a road show at Varkala this morning, will be campaigning across Kottayam, Thrissur and Ernakulam districts.