Govt witch-hunt will not dissuade me: Muvattupuzha MLA Kuzhalnadan

Ernakulam: Muvattupuzha MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan on Wednesday alleged the LDF government is hunting down all those people who question its erroneous ways and policies.

He was responding to reports that the government has initiated a Vigilance probe against him.

"I will not take a step back even if this witch-hunt continues. I will fight against the government's corruption uncompromisingly. Do not try to frighten me with a Vigilance case. I have the support of the public," he said.

"The government is using their power as a shield. The very government has denied justice to Harshina. They are protecting the employees who failed their duty," he said referring to the Kozhikode Medical College hospital patient who was left with a pair of scissors inside her stomach.

He inaugurated Harshina's strike in front of the Secretariat.

Kuzhalnadan, who accused Kerala works minister P A Mohammed Riyas of hiding facts to protect his wife Veena Vijayan, daughter of CM Pinarayi Vijayan, landed in a controversy after CPM filed a case against him with the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau.

The complaint filed by CPM Ernakulam district committee president C N Mohanan alleged that Kuzhalnadan had undervalued his property to evade stamp duty.

Kuzhalnadan and his two partners registered the land on March 18, 2021, at Rajakumari sub-registrar office. In the registration documents, the land is valued at Rs 1.92 crore. But in his election affidavit, Kuzhalnadan claimed that he possess share of a land worth Rs 3.5 crore. Mohanan pointed out that the market value of the land is nearly Rs 7 crore.

Kuzhalnadan's election affidavit revealed that he possesses assets worth Rs 23 crore. He claimed that he earned the wealth from his law firms based in Dubai, Guwahati, Bengaluru and Kochi.

The Muvattupuzha MLA made headlines recently after he was barred from the Kerala legislative assembly when he tried to raise the issue of a private firm paying money to the chief minister's daughter Veena and her company. The payments were flagged by Income Tax Interim Settlement Board.

A controversy erupted after Malayala Manorama reported how CMRL paid a total of Rs 1.72 crore to Veena between 2017 and 2020 without receiving any services from her firm.