Kodiyeri's son leaves for B'luru to appear before ED

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 5 Kerala CPI-M state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's son Bineesh Kodiyeri left for Bengaluru from here on Monday to appear before the Enforcement Directorate officials.

In what could be a crucial Tuesday when Binesh has to be at the ED office, tension seems to be mounting within the ruling CPI-M in Kerala.

Spotted at the airport here on Monday morning, Bineesh was seen in the company of his elder brother Binoy and a friend. Binesh was tight-lipped and refused to interact with the media.

It was last week, almost a month after he was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate officials at Kochi, the agency directed Bineesh to appear before their officials on Tuesday for quizzing.

The ED had asked Bineesh to undergo a Covid-19 test since his second round of questioning was expected soon.

Last month, the ED had also sent him a notice under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and asked him to give a list of assets he has. The ED had also directed the state Registration Department to prepare a list of his assets and to see that there was no transfer or sale of his assets without the agency's knowledge.

Bineesh's name surfaced when Kerala youth Anoop Mohammed was picked up by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Bengaluru. Bineesh maintained that he and Anoop were friends and he had given him a loan of Rs six lakh and another Rs 15,000 since Anoop had no money to return home from Bengaluru.

Thereafter, more reports came about Bineesh's business dealings with his friends and close associates.

For the ruling CPI-M in Kerala, things have been tough ever since a few scandals emerged and the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party are up in arms demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

( With inputs from IANS )