Payments to Veena Vijayan, political leaders: Central agencies to probe

The controversy over alleged illegal payments to the Kerala chief minister’s daughter, Veena Vijayan, by a mining company, Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL), has put both the CPI-M-led ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in a difficult situation.

As both the fronts are caught in a bind over how to respond to the issue ~ the LDF not knowing how to defend the chief minister’s daughter effectively and the UDF not in a position to turn the issue into a political weapon against chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan as the names of prominent UDF leaders also figure as possible recipients of pay-offs, it is reported that the Central agencies would take up the cases. It is learnt that the Income Tax department has handed over the details of the “pay offs” and tax evasions to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and CBI and the Central agencies would conduct probe in the case.

The Central Economic Intelligence Bureau, in its recent meeting held in Kerala is said to have handed over the details of the payments made by CMRL to political leaders and others to the Central agencies.

It has been revealed that names of leaders from both the ruling and Opposition camps in Kerala, figured in the diary jottings seized by the Income Tax department from the CMRL.