A day after Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is the real culprit in the monthly pay-off case involving his daughter Veena Vijayan and mining company Cochin Minerals and Rutiles Limited (CMRL), and accused him of showing undue interest in reinstating the lease agreement of CMRL, it has now been revealed that the Kerala government had revoked the mining rights only after Veena Vijayan’s financial dealings with the mining firm came to light.
While the Central government issued orders in 2019 to end private participation in the mining of atomic minerals and make it available to public sector only, the Kerala government issued orders cancelling the contract with KMRL, a subsidiary of the Kochi-based CMRL, only in December 2023, nearly five years after the Central government’s order.
The LDF government cancelled the agreement after Kuzhalnadan alleged in December that the CMRL company has made illegal payments to Veena Vijayan.
Intensifying his attack on the Kerala Chief Minister over the monthly pay-off case involving his daughter Veena Vijayan and mining company Cochin Minerals and Rutiles Limited (CMRL), Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhaladan on Tuesday alleged that Pinarayi Vijayan is the real culprit in the case. He alleged that the money paid by the Kochi-based mineral company CMRL to the Kerala CM’s daughter and her firm Exalogic Solutions was to get Pinarayi Vijayan’s approval for some sand-mining leases which were on hold since 2004.
Kuzhalnadan claimed that the leases granted to CMRL’s sister concern KMRL in 2004 were stayed in the same year. Thereafter, the company had gone in appeal to the mines tribunal which ruled in its favor and asked the state government to reconsider its decision.
As the state government again declined to grant the leases, the company resorted to litigation, pursuing its case from the Kerala High Court to the Supreme Court, where rulings consistently favoured CMRL, However, the apex court, while ruling in favour of CMRL, said the state government can reclaim the leased land by issuing a notification.
Kuzhalnadan said that such a notification was not issued and a few months after the first Vijayan government came in power in 2016, his daughter started receiving money from the private company. Even after the central government in 2019 ordered scrapping of all such leases given to private companies, CM Vijayan still tried to find ways to grant the same to the private companies, Kuzhalnadan alleged.
A controversy erupted in Kerala recently over some financial transactions involving the Kochi-based private minerals company CMRL, Chief Minister Vijayan’s daughter Veena and her IT firm, Exalogic Solutions.
The Income Tax Interim Settlement Board has found that a total of Rs 1.72 crore was received by Veena Vijayan and her company Exalogic Solutions during 2017-20, which was an illegal transaction. Meanwhile, the Union government on Monday revealed before the Karnataka High Court that it ordered an investigation by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office since the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited engaged in sourcing of beach sand minerals along the Kerala coast made illegal payments to the extent of Rs 135 crore to various political functionaries of Kerala state and certain other entities, including Exalogic Solutions.