KOCHI: A group of prominent cultural and social activists have jointly penned a letter addressed to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, urging him to temporarily relinquish his position until his name is cleared regarding the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board’s recent ruling pertaining to Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL). The case involves his daughter Veena T’s company, Exalogic Solutions.
The letter, signed by respected figures including writer C V Balakrishnan, B Rajeevan, M N Karassery, Kalpatta Narayanan, Appukuttan Vallikunnu, Savithri Lakshmanan, K C Umesh Babu, V S Anilkumar, C R Neelakandan, Deepak Narayanan, Joseph C Mathew, and others, expresses concern over the “shocking” findings and references against CM’s daughter and her company in the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board’s order. The letter notes that such an order with judicial-type powers against a Kerala CM is unprecedented.
“The order by the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board is based on the papers seized after its raid. These are not mere allegations,” the letter emphasises. The activists argue that Chief Minister Vijayan has failed to maintain the ethical standards expected of a person in his constitutional role, and they advocate for the case to be handed over to an appropriate investigative agency. Despite media coverage of the issue, the Chief Minister has remained silent, prompting criticism from the signatories. The letter concludes by characterizing his silence as “criminal.”