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‘Won’t step back’: Congress Kerala MLA in CPM crosshair

Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan, who has been in the CPI-M crosshair, asserted that he will continue his fight despite the…

‘Won’t step back’: Congress Kerala MLA in CPM crosshair

Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan (file photo)

Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan, who has been in the CPI-M crosshair, asserted that he will continue his fight despite the witch-hunt by the LDF Government. He is charged by the ruling party with money laundering and undervaluation of property.

On the allegations against him, the Congress leader said the CPIM is after all those people who question its illegal activities and policies.

Responding to reports that the government will initiate vigilance probe against him based on a complaint filed by CPIM Ernakulam district secretary, Kuzhalnadan said he won’t step back.

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“I will not take a step back even if this witch-hunt continues. I will fight against the government’s corruption uncompromisingly. Do not try to frighten me with a vigilance case, I have the support of the public,” Kuzhalnadan told media persons here.

Kuzhalnadan, who has been vocal on the allegation of monthly payment against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter Veena Vijayan, has put up a lone fight raising the pay-off controversy in the Kerala Assembly. In the process, he landed himself in a controversy after CPI-M filed a case against him with the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB).

The complaint filed by CPI-M Ernakulam district secretary C N Mohanan alleged that Kuzhalnadan had undervalued his property to evade stamp duty. He also sought a probe into Kuzhalnadan’s source of income.

“Mathew Kuzhalnadan has acquired property worth over Rs 6 crore and a luxury resort in Idukki district’s Chinnakanal through benami transactions,” CN Mohanan said at a press conference in Kochi.

The CPI-M also sought a probe into Kuzhalnadan’s source of income.

“Kuzhalnadan’s law firm has offices in Dubai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Guwahati, and Kochi, and as per his affidavit, his total assets are to the tune of Rs 23 crore. He started actively practicing law only in the last 10-12 years. We are demanding a comprehensive probe by the vigilance, the state government, and other agencies to probe his source of income,” Mohanan said.

Responding to the allegations levelled against him, Kuzhalnadan said he will not run away from the allegations levelled against him. He also denied allegations of money laundering and released the income tax documents filed by him.

He said he would release all the records of his company and asked if the CPI-M and Veena Vijayan are ready to release the income tax records of Veena Vijayan. “I am ready to release all the information about my company. I am challenging the CPI-M and Veena Vijayan to release the tax information of Exa Logic from 2016,” he said.

Kuzhalnadan said there is no fraud in the purchase of land and any person can check the related documents.

In this connection, there are reports that the government is likely to announce a vigilance investigation against Mathew Kuzhalnadan based on the complaint filed by CPI-M Ernakulam district secretary CN Mohanan

The allegations against Kuzhalnadan are being viewed as the CPI-M’s counter to the Congress MLA’s frequent targeting of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his family.

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