CPM State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has stepped down from his post and LDF convenor A Vijayaraghavan has been given temporary charge. While Kodiyeri cited further medical treatment for stepping down, his move comes a day after his son Bineesh Kodiyeri was remanded in connection with Bengaluru drug case.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had arrested Bineesh for his supposed financial links to Mohammed Anoop, a businessman who had been arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau in connection with a drug racket in Bengaluru in August. The Narcotics Control Bureau is currently pursuing Bineesh to further investigate his alleged involvement in the case.
Kodiyeri’s request for long leave has been approved by the CPM secretariat. Meanwhile LDF Convenor A Vijayaraghavan has been given temporary charge of CPM’s party affairs.
Congress had earlier demanded Kodiyeri's resignation following the raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on his son's properties. “It is high time that the Kerala CPI (M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan quit his post in the wake of the Enforcement Directorate raid at his house and as his younger son Bineesh Kodiyeri's interrogation continues in Bengaluru,” said Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala.
