Pinarayi Vijayan denies allegations over daughter's business deals

Ending his prolonged silence on the allegations over his daughter's financial deals with a controversial mining firm, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in the Assembly on Monday that the financial deals of his IT entrepreneur daughter with firms were only legal business deals and she had also paid tax for all such payments received.

Vijayan also said that the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board comprised of central government officials and the opposition parties had been alleging that the BJP government at the centre was using central agencies against opposition parties.

Vjayan's statement came after the opposition Congress criticized his silence on the incriminating report of the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board against his daughter in the assembly on Monday also. A report of the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board that came out last month stated that Vijayan's daughter Veena T and her Bengaluru-based IT firm Exalogic Solutions received Rs. 1.72 crores from Cochin Minerals and Rutiles Limited during 2016-20 without rendering any services.

Vijayan said that his daughter had business deals for IT services with many firms and this was one among such legal deals. She also paid taxes for the money received. Being the daughter of a politician did not not bar any individual from running companies and entering into lawful business deals with firms, the senior CPM leader said.

Opposition leader V D Satheean said that the Chief Minister did not give a convincing reply to the allegation. He asked why the government was not ready to initiate a probe into the matter. The opposition also staged a walkout from the house alleging that the Chief Minister's reply was not satisfactory.