Arif Mohammed Khan questions the state government regarding its actions on gold smugglers
News Mania Desk /Piyal Chatterjee/ 1st October 2024
On Tuesday, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan questioned what steps the ruling Left government or Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is in charge, had taken to stop organizations that smuggle gold into the state and use the proceeds for “anti-national activities.”
Khan claimed that he learned of this event only after reading an article in a newspaper that Vijayan had told, yet the chief minister is in possession of all the relevant facts.
“He is holding the reins of power. He cannot just talk to the press and take no action. Why has no action been taken? Whose fault is it if action is not being taken? It is a serious matter. I have read about it only today,” the Governor told reporters here.
He further said that when he returns to Thiruvananthapuram, he will seek a report from the government on the issue.
“I would like to know what action has been taken by the government and since when did they know that gold is being smuggled and the money is being used for anti-national activities? “Is it something recent? Did they receive information about it now or did they know about it for a long time? If they knew for a long time, then what action was taken?” he asked.
His comments came after Vijayan claimed in an interview with an English daily that funds from hawala transactions and gold smuggling through the Karipur International Airport in the Malappuram district were utilized for “anti-state” and “anti-national” operations.
