For the first time since the gold smuggling scam hit the headlines, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan lost his cool in a Press briefing on Friday and issued a stern warning to journalists ‘who were out to discredit him in public life’.
“There is a media syndicate working in the State with an intention to tarnish my image. The people in the State know about me. However hard you try, you will not succeed in your attempts,” said a visibly upset Vijayan when he was asked about reports attributing to the National Investigation Agency that appeared in a section of the media.
Some media houses had reported quoting a statement made by the NIA to the Special Court that Swapna Suresh, the kingpin in the smuggling racket, was known to Vijayan and she had wielded influence in the Chief Minister’s Office. The Chief Minister who was taken aback by the question gave the reporter a piece of his mind in harshest terms. He warned the journalist not to attempt to get an answer from him to suit the former’s convenience.
The press briefing, convened to inform the media about the Covid-19 update ended in a not so pleasant note as a section of the media persons expressed their displeasure in private over the ire of the Chief Minister when faced with inconvenient questions.