"CPM wants to involve Congress in Sabarimala theft case after defeat in local body polls": Lok Sabha MP K Suresh

Wayanad (Kerala) [India], January 4 (ANI): Congress MP K Suresh on Sunday refuted Communist Party of India's (Marxist) allegations against his party leaders in connection to the Sabarimala gold theft case, stating that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) defeat in local body elections have prompted them to make such allegations.
Congress MP K Suresh reiterated CPM leaders' involvement in the Sabarimala gold theft case and raised questions over the investigation of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.
"This is a very clear conspiracy, a gold theft conspiracy, and CPM is involved...The SIT's enquiry is moving very slowly due to the government's interference. They want to protect the CPM leaders. They don't want to arrest the CPM leaders further in this gold theft. That's why we are asking the CBI to take over this inquiry with the monitoring of the Supreme Court," K Suresh told ANI.
"CPM was badly defeated in local body elections because of these gold thefts. Now they want to involve the Congress leaders also in this conspiracy," he added.
Congress MP K Suresh also noted the arrest of CPM leaders in the Travancore Devaswom Board by SIT.
"The public of Kerala also accepted that there was a gold theft by the Devaswom authorities, who were led by LDF leaders, especially CPM leaders...The Special Investigation Team, which is constituted by the government of Kerala as per the direction of the Kerala High Court, has arrested three to four identified CPM leaders, those who are in the Devaswom Board," he said.
This comes after CPM leaders, including Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, raised questions over Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's meeting with prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti and demanded an investigation into the matter.
Responding to that, Congress MLA Chandy Oommen said that the Kerala government is solely responsible for the scam.
"The Government of Kerala is solely responsible for the Sabarimala gold theft...How can they hold anyone else responsible? It's ironic that they are saying this, that any other person is responsible, and they themselves are not willing to take the responsibility. The government is not willing to take the responsibility...Who held the Presidentialship of the Devaswom Board? Is he related to the Congress party? No...He belongs to CPM," he said.
The Sabarimala gold controversy centres on allegations of irregularities in the gold plating at the Sabarimala temple. This situation arose from a 1998 donation of 30.3 kilograms of gold and 1,900 kilograms of copper by industrialist Vijay Mallya, intended for the cladding of the sanctum sanctorum and the wooden carvings of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala.
Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused, was reportedly taken into custody by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on October 17. The SIT, which is investigating the matter, submitted its second report to the Kerala High Court, revealing serious irregularities in the minutes of the Travancore Devaswom Board. (ANI)