CPI(M)’s Keralam meet condemns ED action against Pinarayi, Veena, Riyas

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The three-day extended State committee meeting of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has condemned what it termed as the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) bid to implicate Leader of the Opposition and Polit Bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter, T. Veena, and her husband and party State secretariat member P.A. Mohamed Riyas in the CMRL-Exalogic pay-off case.

In a resolution passed on the concluding day of the meeting on Tuesday, the party said the “political witch-hunt” being conducted by the ED “will be strongly resisted both legally and politically.”

The resolution pointed out that [the now defunct] Exalogic Solutions Private Ltd., a company owned Ms. Veena, and the CMRL engaged in a business transaction based on a legal agreement. During the period, the applicable income tax and Goods and Services Tax were paid, and the company received remuneration for the services provided through bank accounts.

The party alleged that the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board, in an arbitration application filed by the CMRL, unilaterally recorded a reference identifying a person as “the daughter of a prominent Kerala politician,” without hearing Exalogic or its owner. This itself was evidence of a politically motivated witch-hunt, the resolution said.

“That’s why the party gave a response then, calling out the Central government’s political witch-hunt. It has become clear now that the earlier stand taken by the party is valid, as additional agencies are being roped in for the investigation,” the resolution said.

The party alleged that the letter written by the ED to the State Police Chief seeking registration of a first information report against Mr. Vijayan, Ms. Veena and Mr. Riyas had many points earlier raised by Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan.

In another two resolutions, the meeting urged the people to rally against the anti-people policies of the Union and State governments.

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