Jaleel not isolated, but a fellow-traveller of Left ideology, says Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday dismissed media reports that former minister and CPI(M)-backed MLA K T Jaleel was isolated by the Left party and said it was a wrong interpretation by certain people.

Vijayan was responding to certain reports that Jaleel was snubbed by the ruing Left in his ''fight'' against Indian Union Muslim League leader P K Kunhalikutty.

''Our stand is clear. The cooperative sector in Kerala comes under the Cooperative department in Kerala. In the case of the particular bank, the cooperative department has already initiated action. There is no need for ED there,'' Vijayan said. He said Jaleel had clarified that he had not approached the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against the cooperative bank but approached the agency with regard to the Chandrika daily. ''But some people interpreted it in the wrong manner,'' Vijayan told the media.

He said Jaleel was not isolated and he will continue to be a fellow-traveller of the Left ideology. ''He has been with the CPI(M) and the Left front and it will continue,'' Vijayan said. Jaleel had earlier demanded a probe into alleged irregularities in a cooperative bank by a central agency, but reportedly took a 'U' turn on Thursday by saying he did not seek such an investigation. The fraudulent transactions were committed allegedly by a senior Muslim League leader in the AR Nagar Service Cooperative Bank in Malappuram district.

''I have not sought ED's intervention in state cooperative banks. What I said was that the state cooperative department should investigate alleged irregularities in the A R Nagar Bank,'' Jaleel had told reporters here.

He had said this after appearing before the Enforcement Directorate yesterday to submit documents related to the alleged money-laundering by Kunhalikutty in the name of financial activities of the IUML mouthpiece, Chandrika.

Jaleel's statement came two days after Vijayan opposed any sort of probe by the ED into the alleged irregularities by saying the central agency need not meddle with the cooperative sector.

Jaleel has accused Kunhalikutty of carrying out the fraudulent transactions to the tune of Rs 1,021 crore through AR Nagar Service Cooperative Bank. The former Minister for Higher Education had also said that he had appeared before the ED to provide it evidence related to his allegations of money-laundering through the Muslim League mouthpiece.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)