Congress legislator Mathew Kuzhalnadan, who emerged lately as the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s bugbear by raising high-decibel allegations of corruption against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter and businesswoman T. Veena, attempted to take the fight to the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) ‘s top leadership on Wednesday.
Mr. Kuzhalnadan plunged into the tumult of the spirited byelection battle campaign for the Puthuppally constituency by accusing the CPI(M) of siting its party headquarters at AKG Centre in Thiruvananthapuram on public land and in brazen violation of prevalent land laws.
Mr. Kuzhalnadan also accused the CPI(M) district secretaries in Ernakulam and Idukki of amassing wealth beyond their known sources of income.
He said the CPI(M) was cheating ordinary party workers by bending the organisation’s might and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s machinery to defend Veena.
Mr. Kuzhalnadan had called a press conference in Kottayam to defend himself against the accusations raised against him by the CPI(M) State Secretary M.V. Govindan.
He also used it as a platform to counter-attack the CPI(M) against the backdrop of the raging by-election battle in Puthuppally.
‘Monolithic power’
Mr. Kuzhalnadan said the CPI(M) had transformed into a monolithic power centre under Mr. Vijayan. He said the party tragically lacked a corrective force for the good like veteran V.S. Achuthanandan, long retired from active politics.
Mr. Govindan had dared Mr. Kuzhalnadan to answer accusations of land grabs in protected and environmentally sensitive Idukki to set up a posh resort under the guise of a residential building permit.
The CPI(M) State secretary had also accused the Congress leader of illegally amassing wealth, deporting money in foreign accounts in violation of foreign currency rules and violating the lawyer’s code by indulging in private profit-making business ventures.
“If so, I would reply to Mr. Kuzhalnadan’s charges against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter,” Mr Govindan had said.
Mr. Kuzhalnadan defended the “home-stay” he partnered with other persons in Idukki, citing revenue laws and flourishing building permits issued by local authorities.
He said he would defend himself in the Bar Council against Mr. Govindan’s accusation of violating the Advocate’s Act.
Mr. Kuzhalnadan claimed that his foreign financial transactions were legally in order. He dared Mr. Govindan to investigate the financial transactions of the CPI(M)‘s Idukki and Ernakulam district secretaries.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kuzhalnadan’s legal firm sued the CPI(M) district secretary, C. N. Mohanan, for defamation. Earlier, Mr Mohanan had set the ball rolling by accusing Mr Kuzhalnadan of financial misconduct, subversion of land laws and illegal amassment of wealth.
