Karuvannur Scam or Political Witch-Hunt? Unpacking ED’s Case Against CPI M Leaders

For all the noise the Enforcement Directorate (ED) makes, the ground reality tells a different story. In the last 10 years, the ED registered 193 cases, mostly against opposition leaders, but only two ended in convictions. That’s not a great track record for an agency that acts like the nation’s ultimate truth-finder. The Karuvannur Cooperative Bank case is just the latest in their long list of political dramas.
The ED has now filed a chargesheet in the Karuvannur case, dragging CPI M MP K Radhakrishnan, former minister A C Moideen, and former district secretary M M Varghese into the mix. Their allegation? That money was misused from the bank to build a party office for the local committee. And the "big proof" they’ve got? The office was registered in the name of the CPI M district committee. Shocking, isn’t it? Because CPI M offices being registered in the name of the district or state committee is totally unheard of… except that it’s exactly how it has always been.

The ED now claims that 100 crore rupees was siphoned off using shady methods. They even raided A C Moideen’s house looking for treasure, but came out empty-handed. In fact, ED itself gave him a written note admitting they found nothing. But because empty-handed raids don’t make headlines, they came back, this time freezing the retirement money deposited by Moideen’s wife, Usaiba Beevi. She had simply put her own savings in a fixed deposit. Moideen submitted all necessary documents showing his income during his MLA tenure. Eventually, the court had to step in and order the unfreezing of the account. So much for the financial investigation.
Wadakkanchery councillor Aravindakshan also got caught in this political fishing expedition. He was initially denied bail. But when the court took a closer look, it granted him bail, citing lack of evidence. ED had claimed he deposited 63 lakh rupees in his mother’s name. But surprise, those documents turned out to be fake. ED even submitted edited audio clips in court. When asked to provide the full recording, they couldn’t. It’s hard to win a case with half-cooked stories.
What’s more interesting is that the Karuvannur case was being actively investigated by the Crime Branch. Several arrests had already been made. But just when the investigation started heading in the right direction, ED gatecrashed the party. They seized documents from the bank and never handed them over to the Vigilance Department, even after repeated requests.
Why this sudden interest in Karuvannur? Maybe ED is trying to polish its image after one of its own Assistant Directors, Shekhar Kumar, got caught in a bribery case. Coincidentally, Shekhar Kumar was the same officer who investigated the Kodakara hawala heist, remember that?

Here’s a recap: In 2021, 3.5 crore, allegedly meant for BJP’s election campaign, was robbed near the Kodakara flyover. Kerala Police found that the money came from Karnataka. Former BJP secretary Thiroor Satheesh confirmed this version. But once the ED took over, the narrative magically shifted.
A K Dharmarajan claimed he got the money from BJP Yuva Morcha president Sunil Naik, a close aide of K Surendran. He even contacted Surendran right after the robbery. Phone records confirm this. But Dharmarajan underreported the stolen money as 25 lakh rupees instead of 3.5 crore rupees and waited three days before going to the police. That’s not suspicious at all, right?
Later, he sent his driver, Shamjudheen Samjeer, to buy property in Alappuzha, allegedly using the same black money. ED now claims they’ve got "sufficient' documents. But what about the earlier confession to Kerala Police? What about Thiroor Satheesh’s public statement that 9 crore rupees in six sacks was smuggled to the BJP’s Thrissur office? ED has never even called him in for questioning.
Now, just before the Nilambur bypoll, ED has suddenly become active again, convenient timing, isn’t it? The chargesheet against CPI M leaders seems less about justice and more about election strategy. And of course, our friends in the Congress are happy to clap from the sidelines. When ED questioned Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald case, the same Congress leaders in Kerala cried foul. But if CPI M leaders are in the line of fire, they cheer ED on as if they’re watching a T20 match.

Published in Deshabhimani Daily, May 24, 2021

CPI M state secretary M V Govindan didn’t mince words while speaking to the media. He said this is nothing but a political conspiracy aimed at tarnishing the party’s image. “The people of Kerala can see through these dirty tricks. CPI M will respond both legally and politically,” he said.
“The party has already taken strict action against those who were truly guilty in the Karuvannur case. But now, the ED is trying to drag the entire party into this. Even three former district secretaries have been named as accused. If they think they can break the LDF with these fairy tales, they’re in for a surprise. The people will reply in their own way.”
Govindan also said it out loud—what most people are already thinking: “The ED is an agency that runs on lies and political propaganda. Nothing worthwhile has ever come out of their investigations. But still, a section of the media is busy giving these baseless charges a coat of respectability. The LDF will not be affected by this noise.”

In the end, the CPI M stands firm against these politically motivated attacks. While the ED keeps fishing for headlines with half-baked stories and conveniently timed chargesheets, the CPI(M) continues to face the situation head- on, both legally and politically. The people of Kerala are not easily fooled; they know when an investigation is genuine and when it's just a smokescreen to divert attention. CPI M has already taken action against those truly involved in wrongdoing, but trying to paint the entire party with the same brush is a tactic that won't work. If the ED and its political masters believe they can weaken the CPI M and the LDF through scripted drama, they’re underestimating the political consciousness of Kerala.

(To be continued)