THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others. If they do, they will get it in the neck. That is the fate which befell Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan, who raised charges against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter, Veena.
In his attack on Veena, Mathew had alleged that her firm Exalogic Solutions had received payments as monthly quota from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) for services not rendered. The CPI(M), however, rejected the allegations, saying that a routine issue involving a company is being blown out of proportions for political gains.
In a prompt retaliatory act, CPI(M) Ernakulam district secretary C N Mohanan said a complaint has been submitted to the Government seeking a probe into Kuzhalnadan’s sources of income and the evasion of stamp duty. Mohanan said Kuzhalnadan and his wife purchased assets worth Rs 30.5 crore during a period between 2016-17 and 2020-21whereas the income of both for the five years was only Rs 95.866 lakh. According to Mohanan, the documents submitted by Kuzhalnadan show that he has acquired assets that are 30 times more than his known sources of income.
The CPI(M) leader said Kuzhalnadan’s “Eterno Capitans Dale” at Chinnakanal was a resort and not a guest house, as clarified by the Congress MLA. It is a resort, and it was constructed violating the rules. Online bookings can be made for several types of rooms at the resort. It is not a guest house, alleged Mohanan.
The CPI(M) normally does not come up with an official response in issues involving the children of party leaders. It may be mentioned that when allegations were made against the then state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s sons, the party had not issued any statement justifying him. Instead, CPI(M) leaders, including Kodiyeri kept saying that the CPI(M) was not responsible for allegations that are levelled against leaders’ children.
Kuzhalnadan’s act, the CPI(M) said, was part of a conspiracy to drag the Chief Minister’s name into the issue. Incidentally, the allegations have been made against the backdrop of the Puthuppally by-election announcement. The statement added that the CM had no link with the issue. It was a legal service agreement between two legitimate companies. The money was paid on an annual basis as per the norms of the agreement. This was termed as monthly quota to make it appear credible. It is a transparent deal between two companies, and all transactions between them were made through the bank. Such legitimate transactions were portrayed as monthly quota, the statement added.
On its part, the CMRL has described as baseless and unjustified news reports that the company paid undue money to Veena and her company Exalogic Solutions. The baseless allegations have been made, the company said, with the clear intention of ensuring the closure of yet another industrial venture in the state. CMRL CGM N Ajith said a company like the CMRL needs expertise in various fields. Information technology is one area where the firm has sought the help of a consultant. In this case, the firm, Exalogic Solutions has been paid over a period of time through proper channels, using cheques, which are traceable and are accounted for.
Meanwhile, the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) has demanded an investigation under the Prevention of Corruption Act into the revelations made by the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board(ITISB) about Veena allegedly receiving Rs 1.72 crore from the CMRL for consultancy services.
There is a twist in the tale, though. The Congress seems scared to pursue the issue further. The reason: the IT departments filings before an adjudication board in New Delhi revealed sizable handouts to UDF leaders and mediapersons to mute their objections to the company’s “environmentally hazardous” black and sand-mining operations in Kerala during the 2016-20 period. Kuzhalnadan has, however, forced the hands of senior Congress leaders in Kerala. Hence their half-hearted support to the move against the Government. (IPA Service)
By P. Sreekumaran
