The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has launched a preliminary inquiry into the land deal of Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan at Chinnakanal in Idukki district.

The inquiry is being conducted on the basis of a complaint received by the VACB under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Vigilance made it clear that the proceedings underway were not an investigation per se but a preliminary examination of the issues rose in the complaint

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Kuzhalnadan registered the land at Chinnakanal in March 2021 and paid the seller Rs 1.92 crore for the land and the building on it. However, Kuzhalnadan had shown the property’s value at Rs 3.5 crore in the affidavit he had filed with the Election Commission in the same month. Kuzhalnadan explained this inconsistency stating that he had spent a sizable sum of money on enhancing the structure and land that had come into his ownership.

Meanwhile, following a directive from the Vigilance, the Revenue Department undertook an additional survey of the land adjacent to Kuzhalnadan’s ancestral home in the village of Ayankara in Kothamangalam Taluk.

The CPI-M on Thursday alleged that Kuzhalnadan committed several violations, including establishing a resort at Chinnakanal in Idukki when rules prohibit such constructions.

Addressing the media in Kochi, CPI-M Ernakulam district secretary C N Mohanan said Kuzhalnadan and his wife purchased assets worth Rs 30.5 crore during a period between 2016-17 and 2020-21, whereas the income of both of them for the five years was only Rs 95.866 lakh. The documents submitted by Kuzhalnadan in his election affidavit show that he has acquired assets that are 30 times more than his known sources of income, said Mohanan.

Responding to the allegations, Mathew Kuzhalnathan on Thursday invited the CPI-M for a public debate on the complaint that he had violated the land assignment rules.

Kuzhalnadan, who welcomed the revenue inspection of his family home, asked the CPI-M leaders whether the records related to the company of Chief Minister’s daughter Veena will be released and he would be given an opportunity to check Veena’s account details.

“I am a person who wants transparency in public life. CPI-M can check whether I have property disproportionate to my income. But someone who knows maths should come If you want to check tax details , come with those who know about it. Thomas Isaac was invited for that reason,” Kuzhalndan said.