‘Coming to the Bathroom With Me?’: Pinarayi Vijayan Snaps at Reporters Over ED Questions

CHENGANNUR:
Kerala Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday reacted angrily to persistent questions from media persons about the Enforcement Directorate’s latest action involving him and his family.

As reporters surrounded him at the Kallissery PWD Rest House, Vijayan refused to respond to questions about the ED move. When journalists continued to press him, he retorted, “Are you going to come to the bathroom with me?”

Vijayan added, “I came here not to meet you,” before entering a room at the state-owned rest house.

The incident marked Vijayan’s first public appearance before the media after the ED forwarded its findings and supporting material to the Kerala Police Chief under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The agency has sought registration of a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act and other applicable laws against Vijayan, his daughter T. Veena, son-in-law and MLA P.A. Mohammed Riyas, among others.

Vijayan had stopped at the rest house around noon while travelling to Changanacherry. A group of media personnel was waiting at the portico when he stepped out of his official vehicle.

Reporters repeatedly sought his response to the ED action, but he remained silent as he walked into the rest house. He did not respond to the media even when he later emerged and got into his vehicle before leaving for Changanacherry.

Vijayan was also scheduled to address a party meeting in Alappuzha district.

His reluctance to engage with the media is well known. During his decade as Chief Minister, he discontinued the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing, a practice that had been followed for several decades. His approach has generally been to address the media on his own terms.

Over the years, this style has led to several notable exchanges. In July 2017, a video went viral showing Vijayan angrily asking media personnel to leave as he arrived for a meeting with BJP-RSS leaders in Thiruvananthapuram.

Nearly a decade later, the setting may have changed, but Wednesday’s exchange once again reflected Vijayan’s characteristically curt response to persistent media questioning.