NEW DELHI — Leaders and workers of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on Wednesday staged a protest outside the Enforcement Directorate headquarters in the national capital against the recent raid at the Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram homes of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The protest, led by CPI-M General Secretary M A Baby, saw Delhi Police detaining several senior party leaders along with more than a hundred demonstrators as tensions escalated near the ED office at the Pravartan Bhawan, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road here.
Among those detained were veteran CPI-M) leader Brinda Karat, Polit Bureau members Ashok Dhawale, Mariam Dhawale and Vijoo Krishnan, Central Committee member Vikram Singh, and Delhi State Secretary Anurag Saxena.
Addressing party workers before the detentions, Baby accused the Union government of using central investigative agencies to pursue “political vendetta” against opposition leaders. He alleged that the Enforcement Directorate’s action against Pinarayi Vijayan was part of a sustained campaign to malign the senior Left leader despite courts repeatedly observing that he had no direct connection with the controversial Exalogic case.
“The witch-hunt against Pinarayi Vijayan continues unabated. He is now being targeted merely for being Veena’s father,” Baby said, referring to the ongoing probe linked to Vijayan’s daughter, T Veena.
The CPI-M leader also questioned the timing of the ED action, claiming that it came immediately after Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. He termed the developments “politically orchestrated” and alleged selective targeting by central agencies.
Baby further argued that several individuals whose names allegedly appeared in the CMRL diary continue to occupy influential positions in Kerala, yet only Pinarayi Vijayan was being repeatedly singled out.
While asserting that the CPI-M had no intention of obstructing any investigation, he said the party would resist what it described as the “misuse of central agencies for political purposes.” He announced that the party would intensify nationwide protests against what it called attacks on democratic rights and the selective targeting of opposition leaders.
The protest added to the growing political heat surrounding the ED investigation in Kerala, with opposition parties increasingly accusing the Centre of weaponising investigative agencies against political adversaries.
