Kerala: Why Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan finds himself in trouble
C N Mohanan, the district secretary of the CPM in Ernakulam, allegedly revealed documents that purportedly showed Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan had undervalued property in the Idukki district of Chinnakanal in order to avoid paying taxes on it.
FollowThiruvananthapuram: Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan, who the CPI(M) in Kerala had accused of money laundering and tax fraud in connection with a land deal, refuted the accusations on Wednesday and said he was prepared to face an investigation by any agency or even the Left party. On Thursday, C N Mohanan, the district secretary of the CPM in Ernakulam, allegedly revealed documents that purportedly showed Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan had undervalued property in the Idukki district of Chinnakanal in order to avoid paying taxes on it.
The Muvattupuzha MLA, according to the CPM leader, is operating a resort on a property where the law forbids such businesses. "His assertion that the building is a guest house is false. When the permission only authorised them to construct a house, there is documentation that the structure on his property is actually a resort," Mohanan informed reporters.
"He was unable to respond to the inquiries with facts. The earnings of Kuzhalnadan are 30 times his stated income", said Mohanan. He claimed that the resort was still taking reservations from visitors.
A resort cannot be built on land that has been granted under the Land Assignment Act. Only residential development or agricultural use is permitted on patta land, for which an individual landowner receives a title deed from the government.
With the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, the CPM filed a complaint about the Congress MLA. A significant claim made by the CPM against Kuzhalnadan was that he had hidden the value of the land he had bought in Munnar's Chinnakanal and that there was an obvious discrepancy between the value stated in the title deed and his election affidavit.
It was brought to light that the value of 55 cents of land was recorded in revenue records as Rs 1.92 crore. The valuation of the same land was, however, listed as Rs 3.50 crore in the electoral affidavit he submitted the very following day, according to the Left party.
Revenue survey on Kuzhalnadan's ancestral property on Friday
MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan has received a notice from the surveyor for the Muvattupuzha Taluk asking that he assist in measuring his property in Kadavur on Friday (Aug 18) where his ancestral home is located. The action follows an allegation that the house was constructed through illegal land levelling, which was submitted to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau.
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