In a tell-all book published by a reputable publisher, Swapna Suresh, the accused in the gold smuggling case that shook Kerala politics, disclosed hitherto unrevealed details of the case as well as her links to influential people in the political and administrative realm. The former principal secretary of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, M Sivashankar, is harshly criticised in the book.
The book contains images that depict Swapna’s life and her strong friendship with Shiva Shankar. Swapna’s book reveals several facts about the gold smuggling case that have not before been publicised. Thrissur Current Books is the publisher of the book. Pinarayi Vijayan, the chief minister, is also subtly criticised in the book.
In the book, Swapna claims that while working as a representative at the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016, she first met Sivashankar. According to Swapna’s account in the book, the friendship quickly developed into a serious relationship.
Like a teen, Shivshankar was utterly enamoured with her. Swapna claims that Sivashankar was willing to make any sacrifices and pay any price to win and retain her affection. The book included images of a marriage to Shiva Shankar, as well as of the couple dining in his home with other family members.
‘At a temple in Chennai, Sivasankar tied a thali around my neck and daubed vermilion on my forehead. He also pledged to never abandon me,’ Swapna wrote. This was the time when the two went to the neighbouring state as if on official business. ‘I was Sivasankar’s ‘Parvathy,’ she stated in her autobiography, ‘Chathiyude Padmavyooham,’ published by Current Books in Thrissur.
The audio clip
According to Swapna, a voice message that was made public was recorded to demonstrate that ‘the State Government or the Government representatives had no participation in the gold smuggling issue’. The intention was to give the Left Democratic Front administration a second term. ‘I was led to believe that if the regime changed, there would be no one to help me, and that the manner of case inquiry would shift. I was persuaded to record the message as a result’, she said.
She also highlighted the relationship between politicians and administrators. According to Swapna, ‘CM Pinarayi Vijayan, his family, his additional political secretary C M Ravindran, CM’s former principal Chief Secretary Nalini Netto, former speaker P Sreeramakrishnan, and former Minister K T Jaleel were all in some capacity involved in the despatch of several consignments through the UAE Consulate’.
Veena Vijayan, daughter of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, said that the Sprinkler data sale made her millions of dollars. Swapna said that she has made no sexually explicit claims against anyone. She did, however, acknowledge that the only person to approach her with sexual desire was a former Minister who was a frequent visitor to the Consulate and a senior member of the Kerala Assembly.
‘I received an invitation to a hotel after we spoke on WhatsApp. Despite his repeated invitations, I refused to go ‘, Swapna continued. ‘I have all the relevant phone records as proof, and I’ve given them to the agencies doing the investigation’, according to Swapna. ‘ The scope of the probe would be limited to you. Do as Sandeep instructs – this was the guidance I received.I recorded on (co-accused) Sandeep’s phone’.