Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 6 (IANS): Congress secretary Viswanath Perumal has been booked by the Kerala Police for saying that the gold smuggling case accused, Swapna Suresh is the "girlfriend of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan". 

The Kannur police registered a case based on a complaint and Perumal, a resident of Tamil Nadu, has been charged under Section 153 of the IPC.

Perumal made this reference while inaugurating a protest of the Congress party at Kannur. The complainant felt that this was a speech that was defamatory and intended to incite riots.

Swapna Suresh, presently out on bail, has been going hammer and tongs against Chief Minister Vijayan and his family. She claims the CM and his family have indulged in smuggling gold and currencies.

What has raised eyebrows is that while a case has been registered against Perumal, no such move has been filed against Suresh who has been challenging the CM and the CPI(M) to file a case against her for the revelations.

The Kerala Police has filed several cases against the opposition leaders, the Congress in particular.