Gold smuggling case: CPM says BJP leadership should explain stand on issue

“After Customs questioned Janam TV co-ordinating editor Anil Nambiar for his alleged links with the gold smuggling racket, BJP has tried to distance itself from the journalist. That shows the BJP has something serious to hide from the public. The BJP leadership should come out to explain its stand on the issue,’’ said the statement.

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It said BJP’s links in the case, in which UAPA provisions have been slapped against the arrested, has been exposed after Nambiar reportedly advised accused Swapna Suresh to depict that the cargo was not a diplomatic one. “Senior BJP leader from Kerala and Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan had also resorted to the same stand that the gold was not smuggled in through a diplomatic cargo. Now, it has to be suspected that the Union minister was also giving an indirect suggestion to the alleged accused persons. With pro-BJP Janam TV co-ordinator editor’s links with the smuggling racket came out, BJP cannot anymore refuse responsibility,” said the CPM state secretariat.

Meanwhile, Anil Nambiar on Friday quit as the co-ordinating editor of the channel. Announcing his decision to “keep away from all responsibilities at the channel’’ in a Facebook post, Nambiar said, “I have nothing to hide and have none to protect in the issue. There is a political agenda for those who are trying to establish that I have links with the smuggling. Their aim is to target the higher-ups in the BJP. As my presence in the channel would be an obstruction for the flow of news pertaining to the gold smuggling, I have decided to keep away from the responsibilities at the TV channel.’’