The second tenure of Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan is marked by corruption and irregularities
When the “gold smuggling through green channel” scam rocked Kerala in 2019 and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asked the Central Government to launch an investigation into the affair by central agencies, the general belief was that it was one of its kind incidents. But subsequent events proved that the CPI-M-led Kerala Government is the epicentre of corruption and impropriety of all kinds. Smuggling of gold through the Holy Qurans, financial embezzlement in the State’s Cooperative Banks which saw many investors resorting to suicides and irregularities in the appointment of vice-chancellors and teaching staff in the State’s Universities are just the tip of the iceberg. No amount of perfumes imported from Arabia would be able to wash off and purify the scam-ridden Kerala. Tuesday’s raid by sleuths of the Enforcement Directorate on the residence of A C Moideen, a CPI-M MLA who was a minister in the first Pinarayi Vijayan Government (2016-2021) has not surprised anyone as it was on expected lines. Moideen, the then minister for cooperation, was the master brain behind the modus operandi of swindling Rs 126 crore from the branch of a Cooperative Bank in Thrissur district. The Bank scam across Kerala that took place during the tenure of Moideen as minister is Rs 75,000 crore according to financial experts familiar with the Cooperative Banks. There is a saying in Kerala that whoever controls the Cooperative Banks controls the State. No prize for guessing why the Marxists are fighting tooth and nail the efforts of the RBI to usher in some sort of transparency and accountability to cooperative institutions across India.
The Life Mission, a flagship project of the CPI-M led Government to provide houses to all those without a roof over their heads to is enmeshed in corruption and irregularities. The latest development is the monthly payment of Rs 1.72 crore allegedly received by Veena Mohammaed Riyaz, daughter of Chief Minister Vijayan from one Sasidharan Kartha, who owns a mineral sand mining company. The disclosure was made by the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board which disallowed claims by Kartha’s mining company that the amount was paid to Veeena’s company in return for Information Technology-related services. The Board disclosed that executives of Kartha’s company have made it clear that Exalogic, an IT firm owned by Veena has not provided any kind of services to the company. The issue is getting murkier by the day as Congress legislator Mathew Kuzhalnadan has come out with facts that have put the CPI-M leadership in a quandary. The Marxists, instead of countering the charges made by Kuzhalnadan, have ordered a probe against him by the officials of the revenue department regarding his ancestral properties. The second tenure of Pinarayi Vijayan stands out because of corruption and misdeeds. Surprisingly, the opposition Congress which has been battling the Central Government’s raid raj came out on Tuesday demanding the immediate resignation of Moideen as MLA. Strange are the ways of politicians.