Editor's Pick: Can a State probe Central agencies?

The Hindu Newsletter - The Hindu Newsletter - Editor's Pick [The Hindu Logo]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( Monday 29, March 2021 [alt_text]( Editor's Pick Can a State probe Central agencies? [alt_text]( (The Editor's Pick is a new newsletter from The Hindu that provides a snapshot of the most important stories from today's edition of our newspaper, along with a note from our top editors on why we chose to give prominence to these stories.) The standoff between the Central and Kerala governments over the role of central agencies in probing the high-profile gold smuggling case in the State has spilled over into the poll arena. The [State government's move to institute a judicial probe]( into the role of [central agencies]( such as the Enforcement Directorate was criticised as unconstitutional by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is in the State to campaign for the BJP ahead of the April 6 Assembly election. Meanwhile, [Sitaram Yechury, general secretary of the CPI(M)](, which heads the ruling LDF coalition in Kerala, argued that the Central government had infringed on the constitutional rights of the State. The probe itself is awaiting the clearance of the Election Commission as the State is under the model code of conduct. The case over the gold smuggling via the diplomatic pouch of the UAE consulate, involving consulate employee [Swapna Suresh](, is linked to the Chief Minister's Office through the then-Principal Secretary. The Kerala government alleges that Swapna's statement that the [smuggling was at the behest of CM Pinarayi Vijayan](, was coerced by the ED. The government has made several moves against the central agencies already, having withdrawn the general consent of the CBI to operate in the State and also filing a police case against ED officials. The Central government had also been proactive on the case, with central agencies moving in quickly to take over the cases from the local police. The gold smuggling case [had come as a blow to the LDF](, which had been on a good wicket coming into the [election year](. It provided campaign fodder to the opposition Congress in the State which had not much going for it otherwise. It was leverage for the BJP government at the Centre against a State government that had been fundamentally opposed to it in terms of policy and politics. It was also an opportunity for the BJP to better the chances of its State unit in the coming election. Now, with voting just a few days away, the issue is being taken up by the major campaigners on both fronts. This is what makes the story important. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. [Click here]( Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz In which year did the Suez Canal officially open for navigation? 1. 1849 2. 1858 3. 1869 4. 1896 To find out the answer and play the full quiz, [click here]( The Big Story [Kerala Assembly Elections | Rajnath, Yechury spar over Kerala government probe against Central agencies]( [alt_text]( From the Front Page [alt_text]( [CoWIN upgraded to accept 1 crore registrations per day after April 1]( [alt_text]( [Unique ID for all land parcels by March 2022: Centre]( From the Opinion Pages [alt_text]( [Tackling the period taboo]( [alt_text]( [The needless resurrection of a buried issue]( Today's Editorials [On electoral bond](s [On crisis facin](g borrowers during the pandemic You are receiving this email because you are a user of [thehindu.com]( If you do not wish to receive any such emails, [unsubscribe here.](mailto:rm-0bfdfgd5bf2f90kaup33rtbysa8hkrm@newsalert.thehindu.com?subject=Unsubscribe&body=You will be unsubscribed from our mailing list.) To ensure you continue to receive emails from The Hindu in your inbox, please add newsletters.th@newsalert.thehindu.com to your contact. If you can't see the mailer, please [click here.]( Group Sites [The Hindu]( | [இந்து தமிழ் திசை]( | [Business Line]( | [BL on Campus]( | [Sportstar]( | [Frontline]( | [The Hindu Centre]( | [Images]( | [roofandfloor]( | [Classifieds]( Copyright @ 2021 ,THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. [About Us]( | [Contact Us]( | [Digital Subscription](