Crisis in Kerala! Will Pinarayi Vijayan Endure This Storm?
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan Faces Firestorm of Scandals as Aides, Family Draw Scrutiny
As Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan marks nine years in office, a barrage of allegations targeting his inner circle and family has plunged his administration into crisis.
On Friday, the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) filed a charge sheet against Vijayan’s daughter, Veena Vijayan, over alleged illegal dealings between her defunct IT firm, Exalogic, and Kochi-based Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL). A court accepted the charges, formally registering the case.
Trouble deepened with the Kerala High Court ordering a CBI probe into claims of disproportionate assets held by Vijayan’s Chief Principal Secretary, K.M. Abraham, a key figure in the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). The order, prompted by activist Joemon Puthenpurackal, drew sharp criticism from retired DGP Jacob Thomas, who accused Abraham of dodging a 2016 vigilance probe and questioned Vijayan’s protection of him.
Vijayan’s office faces further heat from past and present aides. Former Principal Secretary M. Sivasankar, twice arrested in the Kerala gold smuggling case, and Additional Private Secretary C.M. Raveendran, questioned in a money laundering scandal, remain contentious figures. Political Secretary P. Sasi was accused by ex-MLA P.V. Anvar of running a syndicate via benami petrol pumps—claims ignored by Vijayan’s CPI(M). Anvar, now with the Congress-led opposition, is gearing up to challenge Vijayan in the Nilambur by-election.
Controversies also surround the appointment of Vijayan’s Private Secretary’s wife at Kannur University, now under Supreme Court review, and the life sentence of the Press Secretary’s brother for a 2005 murder. With the opposition branding Vijayan as corrupt, the CBI probe into Abraham is set to dominate the upcoming by-election.
