Thiruvananthapuram | CPI(M) central committee member A K Balan on Sunday said that Congress leader Mathew Kuzhalnadan should apologise to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his daughter for the allegations against them by him.
Balan demanded an apology in view of the recent communication from the Department of State Goods and Services Tax that Vijayan's daughter, T Veena, has paid the required Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) for her business transactions with a Kochi-based private minerals company.
"If he (Kuzhalnadan) wants to continue in the political field, he should apologise to the CM and his daughter," the senior CPI(M) leader said.
Balan also asked the media to stop with its "stories" on the issue now that the GST department has clarified that the CM's daughter has paid IGST in connection with her transactions with Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL).
Responding to Balan's remarks, Kuzhalnadan said he has not forgotten what he has said and if there has been a mistake on his part, he has no problem with apologising.
However, the Congress MLA from Muvatuppuzha said that the senior CPI(M) leader should be ready to hear his side also on the subject.
Kuzhalnadan said let the people decide who has to apologise based on what he has to say, the information he has got from the Finance Department and the other details he has regarding the issue.
He also said more clarity is required on the issue than what has been said in the communication sent by the GST department.
The GST department's clarification came amidst a raging row over financial transactions between Vijayan's daughter Veena's firm and the minerals company.
The Congress MLA said the main issue was the money that the CM's daughter and her firm received from a private company and no one should try to change the goal post now.
"The legal status, even today, of the money she got is that of illegal enrichment," he said.
Kuzhalnadan has raised corruption allegations against Veena in connection with the transaction between her firm and the Kochi-based minerals company.
He had also sought to know whether Veena had remitted IGST for the over Rs 1 crore that she had received from the minerals company.
He has also recently sought a vigilance probe into the corruption allegations.
In a letter, the state tax department informed the Congress legislator that during the verification, it was found that Veena's company had remitted the IGST for the amount that she received from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd.
However, the brief letter didn't mention any other details, including the amount she had paid as tax.
A controversy erupted in Kerala recently over some financial transactions between the Kochi-based private minerals company and Veena and her IT firm.
Evidence also cropped up that showed the company had dealings with top leaders of both the ruling CPI(M) as well as the opposition Congress-led UDF.
The issue came to the fore after a Malayalam daily reported that Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd paid a total of Rs 1.72 crore to the CM's daughter between 2017 and 2020.
The news report, citing a ruling of an Interim Board for Settlement, said the Kochi-based company previously had an agreement with Veena's IT firm for consultancy and software support services.
Despite the fact that no service was rendered by her firm, the amount was paid on a monthly basis "due to her relationship with a prominent person", the report said, citing the deposition of the minerals company authorities before the Income Tax Department.
However, Vijayan rubbished the charges and said the allegations were made to tarnish his image and defame him.
