Thiruvananthapuram, May 27 : CPI(M) General Secretary M.A. Baby on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the BJP-led Centre and the Congress party after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out raids at 10 locations across Kerala linked to former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his family members and associates in the controversial CMRL-Exalogic case.

Describing the ED action as â??a heinous crime against Pinarayi Vijayanâ??, Baby alleged that the Narendra Modi government was using Central agencies to politically target the CPI(M) and its senior-most leader in Kerala.

â??The justification for this raid is the Kerala High Court order allowing the ED probe to continue. But Veena Vijayan (Vijayanâ??s daughter) had cooperated with the investigation and appeared before the concerned officials whenever summoned,â?? Baby said.

The ED on Wednesday, starting 6 a.m., is engaged in simultaneous searches at Vijayanâ??s residences in Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur, the Kozhikode residence of former Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas, premises linked to Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL), and other locations connected to the alleged financial transactions involving Veena Vijayanâ??s IT firm Exalogic.

Riyas, the Beypore CPI(M) legislator, is Veena's husband.

The case centres around allegations that Exalogic received payments from CMRL for services that were allegedly not rendered.

However, Baby sought to distance the party from the merits of the case, saying the company itself had already clarified its stand.

â??I am not going into the merits of the CMRL issue. The company itself has made its position clear,â?? he said. Drawing parallels with the Emergency era, Baby said Vijayan had faced political persecution in the past as well. â??

Even during the Emergency, Pinarayi Vijayan was haunted. Now the Modi government is repeating the same,â?? he alleged, while also accusing the Congress of joining hands with the BJP in targeting Vijayan.

Referring to earlier controversies involving the son of late CPI(M) leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Baby maintained that the present case was entirely different.

As the ED action triggered outrage within the CPI(M), protests erupted in Kannur and Kozhikode, with party workers raising slogans against the Centre and the ED.

Senior CPI(M) leaders held emergency consultations, and indications are that the protests could spread across Kerala during the course of the day.

Meanwhile, security has been tightened for BJP leader Shaun George, who was among those instrumental in pursuing complaints related to the Veena Vijayan case before the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).

/IANS