Kerala Life Mission case: Congress alleges Left-BJP conspiracy over ED notice to CM’s son

The Congress on Saturday accused the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala of colluding with the BJP following media reports that the ED (Enforcement Directorate) had issued a summons in 2023 to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s son in a money‑laundering probe tied to the state’s Life Mission scheme, yet never interrogated him.

Congress general-secretary (organisation) and Alappuzha MP K.C. Venugopal claimed that while the ED typically publicises actions against Opposition figures, it handled this matter 'secretively'.

He said: “In such cases, interrogation and arrests follow even when there is no solid case. This was seen in the arrests of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Hemant Soren. It also happened in the National Herald case (involving Congress leaders).”

He added that the summons was ignored: “Was he interrogated later? Has the investigation been closed or is it ongoing? The ED must answer these questions.”

Venugopal also suggested that the CPI(M) preferred to maintain silence over the matter to prevent it becoming a political issue. “Like the ED, the CPI(M) preferred to remain silent. Otherwise, they would have called it a political attack as they usually do. These incidents raise several suspicions,” he said.

Without naming people, he went to use Shakespearean reference of "something is rotting (sic) in Denmark… It is the chief minister’s responsibility to clear the stench. He must come out and say what really happened.”

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala echoed the view, saying the summons appeared to have 'evaporated'. He accused the BJP and CPI(M) of orchestrating immunity for the CM’s family. “We had said earlier that the Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling and Life Mission cases would vanish due to the unholy nexus between the BJP and CPI(M). It has now come true,” he asserted.

Earlier, Vivek Kiran Vijayan had been summoned to appear on 14 February 2023 by the ED’s Kochi office, in connection with alleged irregularities in the Life Mission housing project. The summon is said to have been issued by then ED assistant director P. K. Anand. But no further public updates have emerged about any questioning or ongoing inquiry.

The Life Mission project, funded in part by the UAE’s Red Crescent, was designed to build housing units in Wadakkancherry, Thrissur, for victims of the 2018 floods.

Among several allegations, one was that Unitac Builders, the firm contracted for the work, paid roughly Rs 4.5 crore in kickbacks to middlemen, including state officials. M. Sivasankar, the former principal secretary to the CM, has already been arrested in connection with the case.

Furthermore, the CBI has alleged that the government used these proxy firms such as Unitac Builders and Sane Ventures to receive foreign funding, thereby bypassing audit oversight and Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) norms. The Central agency claimed that these firms then diverted parts of the funds as kickbacks and through other illicit channels. It also asserted that the contracts awarded to these firms deviated from original designs and permits.

Investigations intensified when Sivasankar was arrested by the ED, which charged him under money laundering statutes, alleging that he concealed proceeds of crime, coordinated with project intermediaries, and obstructed the investigation. Among the evidence cited are WhatsApp communications, mobile metadata, and claims of gifts such as an iPhone to Sivasankar.

Neither the CPI(M) nor the chief minister’s office have responded publicly to the latest allegations.