BJP State general secretary M.T. Ramesh has accused the Congress-led Opposition of entering into an understanding with the CPI(M) to suppress the “off-the-book monthly backhanders payment” controversy related to a company owned by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter Veena Vijayan.
The controversy is over a ruling of the Income Tax Disputes Settlement Board, New Delhi. The board did not allow a Kochi-based mining and processing company to claim an input tax credit relief for paying around ₹1.72 crore to Ms. Veena and her IT company for consultancy and software services between 2016 and 2020. The allegation is that though the payment had been made, the services were not rendered to the company.
Mr. Ramesh wondered why the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau was not registering a suo motu case against this. He said that the money was said to be given to Ms. Veena’s company to influence a senior political leader from the State. Mr. Ramesh asked who could be influenced by paying money like that.
He alleged that the Congress was trying to whitewash the Chief Minister. He asked why the Opposition could not move an adjournment motion in the Assembly on the issue. Mr. Ramesh claimed that the Opposition had reached an understanding with the ruling front to hush up the controversy. Both of them did not want it to be discussed on the floor of the House. He claimed that the reason was obvious as the above-mentioned report had the names of UDF leaders such as the late Oommen Chandy, Ramesh Chennithala, and P.K. Kunhalikutty.
