Kottayam: Left Democratic Front convener E P Jayarajan took exception to the allegations of 'irregular financial dealings' against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter Veena saying she was 'unduly targeted'.
The tirade is part of a larger agenda by the Opposition, Jayarajan said, to tarnish the image of the Left front.
“There is nothing wrong with running a consultancy firm. Even children of union ministers are running such institutions. The charges against Veena are actually aimed at the chief minister himself,” Jayarajan replied when asked about the controversy over the contents of a document submitted to the Interim Settlement Board of the Income Tax Department.
The aforesaid document stated a long list of persons, including Veena and her firm Exalogic, had received money from the private firm Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL).
In December 2016, the CMRL had entered into an agreement with Veena's company, Exalogic, for software services. Another agreement was signed in March 2017. As per the pact the CMRL has to pay Veena Rs 5 lakh and Exalogic Rs 3 lakh per month.
"The reward for the service rendered is provided via a bank account after remitting all the taxes. One shouldn’t indulge in maliciously tarnishing the image of others by making a mountain out of a molehill and that too of an incident in 2017. There is also an agenda by the Opposition parties to tarnish the Left front’s image," he lashed out.
What the IT Dept says
As reported earlier Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter T Veena received Rs 1.72 cr from CMRL in monthly installments in the last three years. The New Delhi bench of the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board ruled that the money was given, considering the relationship with a prominent person.
The IT Department argued that a total of Rs 1.72 crore was received by Veena and Exalogic during 2017-20, which is an illegal transaction.
CMRL's Chief Financial Officer K S Suresh Kumar and Chief General Manager P Suresh Kumar deposed before the IT Interim Settlement Board that they were not aware of any services made available to the company by Veena and Exalogic as per the contracts.
Kartha and company officials later tried to withdraw the statement through an affidavit. However, the Income Tax Department stood firm on the argument that the money was paid to Veena and Exalogic illegally.
A settlement board bench of Justices Amrapali Das, Rameshwar Singh, and M Jagadish Babu said the IT Department has been able to establish on the basis of strong evidence that the money was paid for services not rendered.
