'Answer is the same...' Kerala PWD Minister Mohammed Riyas refuses to respond on 'payment' to Veena Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister's daughter Veena Vijayan allegedly received Rs 1.72 crore from a private company Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) in monthly installments in the last three years. 

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Public Works Department Minister P A Mohammed Riyas declined to comment when asked about claims that his wife and T Veena, the daughter of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, received regular payments from the private company Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL).

"The CPM state secretariat has already made a statement regarding the matter. No matter how many times you ask, the answer is the same," he told reporters. 

"The motivations behind these controversies are the private interests of media house owners," he said. He claimed that journalists are not free and are subject to the whims of owners.

The other day, when reporters inquired about the payoff, CPM state secretary M. V. Govindan left the news conference that the CPM had organised. Govindan did not even care to hear the question. The "monthly bribe" dispute, according to a CPM statement issued on August 10, was false propaganda spread in anticipation of the Puthuppally bye-election scheduled for next month.

Kerala Chief Minister's daughter Veena Vijayan allegedly received Rs 1.72 crore from a private company Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) in monthly installments in the last three years. According to reports, Veena and her company, Exalogic Solutions, had a contract with the CMRL to offer the latter IT, marketing consulting, and software services. The income tax department has reportedly claimed that no services were, however, provided.

According to available data, Veena received a total of Rs 1.72 crore -- Rs 55 lakh in personal capacity and Rs 1.17 crore for Exalogic. 

On January 25, 2019, the Income Tax Department stumbled upon massive tax evasion when it conducted searches at the office and factory of CMRL and the residences of the MD and key officials. The searches were based on tax payment documents from 2013–14 to 2019–20.