The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] appeared to have found an unlikely and somewhat hesitant ally in its “who will blink first” standoff with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over the Central agency’s politically touchy and high-profile investigations into the suspected money laundering allegations revolving around the party-controlled Karuvannur Cooperative Bank in Thrissur.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty, MLA, told journalists in Kannur that the sweeping Central investigations into the cooperative sector could disrupt the low-interest credit institutions vital to Kerala’s working-class economy.
The IUML line appeared to echo that of the CPI(M) and seemed starkly divergent from Congress’s tack. Mr. Kunhalikutty, rather cautiously and mindful of Congress’s strident stance in the matter, hurriedly put a subtle rider to the IUML’s stance.
