‘If Kerala CM has any shame, he must refer Sabarimala gold theft case to CBI’, says BJP State chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar

BJP Kerala chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar urges CM Vijayan to refer the Sabarimala gold theft case to CBI amid investigation concerns.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has demanded that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan refer the investigation into the Sabarimala gold theft case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

“If the Chief Minister has even an iota of shame and sincerity, he should hand over the probe to the CBI,” Mr. Chandrasekhar said at a press conference on Thursday (February 5, 2026).

He was accompanied by Sabu M. Jacob, president of Twenty20, the Kitex Group-backed political outfit that recently joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Mr. Chandrasekhar alleged a conspiracy to “sabotage the investigation and weaken the case”, something he said he had predicted as early as October 3.

Expressing distrust in the special investigation team (SIT) of the police, Mr. Chandrasekhar questioned whether the force under Mr. Vijayan, who is also the Home Minister, would have the courage to investigate CPI(M) leaders, including Ministers, allegedly involved in the case. When pointed out that the Kerala High Court had expressed satisfaction with the SIT’s investigation, he countered, “If the Chief Minister has nothing to hide, why not refer the case to an independent agency?”

Mr. Jacob echoed the criticism, describing the SIT as “a case of police and thief rolled into one,” since the police are “not independent of” the government.