Thiruvananthapuram,   Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Tuesday said there was no reason to disbelieve Swapna Suresh (the prime accused in the gold smuggling case) and the ball was now in the court of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Speaking to the media here, Satheesan said, "The onus is on Vijayan to break his silence on the various allegations that Swapna has now levelled. It was the other day she said about the role played by former State Minister and present legislator K.T. Jaleel in trying to ban the 'Madhyam' Malayalam daily in the UAE. And see what Vijayan said to those who came to complain about Jaleel, Vijayan said he will find out from Jaleel. So this means what she has said is true," said Satheesan.

On Monday, Swapna alleged that Vijayan not only violated protocol but also his oath of office when he broke all rules during the visit of Sharjah's ruler to the state in 2017.

She went on to add that neither the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) nor the UAE Consulate knew about the change in the itinerary of the visiting dignitary from Kozhikode to the state capital then, and claimed that "it was done for Vijayan to prevail upon the visiting dignitary to ensure that his daughter gets all the assistance when she starts an IT hub in Sharjah".

"See, what she said about Jaleel has come out true, so Vijayan has to answer. There is no reason to disbelieve her. He refuses to answer questions in the Assembly and when he comes very rarely before the media, he does not take questions instead answers only those questions which he likes. He has to break his silence and speak up on what Swapna has said," said Satheesan.

Both the Congress and BJP have been demanding Vijayan's resignation and his answers to Swapna Suresh's allegations.