Allapuzha: Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said he was not afraid of a probe into the alleged CMRL payments issue, claiming it was aimed at targeting the LDF in the state at the BJP’s behest.
Vijayan, while inaugurating an expanded CPI(M) district committee meeting in Alappuzha, said the Congress had joined hands with the BJP in targeting the party and the Left Front through him.
The Congress-led UDF government in Keralam recently ordered a police inquiry based on the ED’s letter to the State Police Chief seeking a probe against the former CM, his daughter Veena T and her husband, P A Mohamed Riyas MLA, in the alleged CMRL bribery case.
The ED has sought registration of a case based on “evidence” gathered during its probe and searches conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The agency has alleged that Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited made fraudulent payments of Rs 2.78 crore to Veena’s now-defunct company Exalogic Solutions under the guise of “IT consultancy services”.
Addressing the gathering, Vijayan said there was a contract between Exalogic and CMRL and that the services were provided in accordance with the law.
“The service is provided by one entity to another entity as per the law, and the remuneration is received as per the law for that service. All of this is on record, and all the necessary taxes for it have been paid,” he said.
“What is the crime in that?” Vijayan asked.
He said questions were being raised about Exalogic because its owner was his daughter.
“Then, whose daughter is the owner of that Exalogic? Naturally, it will be the son or daughter of someone. So right from the beginning, it was in the tone of, ‘Not you, we are targeting your father’,” he said.
Vijayan said he was not scared of the investigation.
“Oh, the father has seen all of this! Are we seeing these things for the first time? Is this the first time such things are happening?” he said.
He questioned the allegations regarding his daughter’s marriage to Riyas, saying the contract between Exalogic and CMRL had been signed years before their marriage.
Vijayan said complaints in the matter had been examined by various courts in Keralam, including the Supreme Court.
“The complaint by a Congress MLA was the primary one. The court made a clear decision on everything. After all that, now they are coming forward with this new story,” he said.
Vijayan alleged that the latest move was aimed at the LDF and the CPI(M), and alleged that the RSS and BJP were behind it.
“Along with that, the trend is that the UDF is also joining them,” he said.
He said Keralam would resist moves and interventions made with political motives, whether by the Central or State government.
“What needs to be pointed out is that the CPI(M) will also move along that same path,” Vijayan said.
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.