Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) [India], May 30 : Communist Party of India (CPI) national secretary Annie Raja on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government, accusing it of weaponising the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against opposition leaders.
Speaking to ANI, Annie Raja alleged that the Centre is deliberately targeting former Keralam CM, specifically referencing recent ED actions.
"The BJP-led central government is deliberately targeting Kerala Ex-Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan through central agencies. The issue is already before the court, and it raises questions as to why the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has entered the matter," the CPI leader said.
She further said that the central investigative agencies are being misused as political tools. "The BJP uses agencies like the ED for its political interests and to target opposition leaders," she alleged.
Earlier in the week, the ED conducted searches at 10 premises in Keralam, including the residences of former Keralam Chief Minister and Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan, in the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) case.
Officials said the raids are underway from early Wednesday, covering all the locations based on specific inputs against the accused linked to the controversial CMRL financial transactions case that had rocked Keralam politics during the tenure of Vijayan.
The ED's action came a day after the Keralam High Court on Tuesday refused to quash the agency's investigation into the CMRL case.
Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) on the same day, alleged that the Enforcement Directorate raid on the residence of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was "yet another example" of central agencies being "weaponised" for political vendetta against opposition leaders.
In a strongly worded statement shared on X, the party accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre of using agencies like the ED, CBI and Income Tax Department to intimidate political rivals and suppress dissent.
On X, CPI(M) wrote, "The ED raid on the residence of former Kerala Chief Minister and CPI(M) PB Member Comrade Pinarayi Vijayan is yet another stark example of how central agencies are being weaponised for political vendetta. Leaders who consistently challenge the BJP-led Union government and refuse to submit to Sangh Parivar politics are being targeted through intimidation, media trials, and selective investigations. When political opponents cannot be defeated democratically, the BJP resorts to ED, CBI, and Income Tax raids to harass and silence dissent."