CPI(M) dares UDF government in Keralam to investigate Cabinet Ministers named in CMRL ledger

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Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] on Tuesday (September 22, 2026) dared the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government to investigate Cabinet Ministers allegedly named by acronyms in the “slush fund ledger” supposedly maintained by the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd. (CMRL), a chemical company in which the Keralam government holds a minority stake. 

CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan told a press conference that the Income Tax department’s original case against the CMRL was that the publicly listed public limited company had incurred a loss of ₹152 crore from suspected pay-offs to a galaxy of politicians, including Cabinet Ministers in the current UDF dispensation. 

Mr. Govindan said the IT department accusation was that the acronyms in the CMRL’s account books referred to the “current Chief Minister (V.D. Satheesan), Home Minister (Ramesh Chennithala) and Industries Minister (P.K. Kunhalikutty).” 

“Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan had categorically stated that the initials PV in the CMRL’s account books were not a reference to him. In contrast, the incumbent Home Minister and Industries Minister had acknowledged publicly that they had accepted election funds from the CMRL. The others have neither denied nor accepted the IT department’s accusation,” he said. 

Mr. Govindan said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had predicated its “politically motivated Machiavellian bid” on the IT department’s contentious inculpatory finding to compel the UDF government to indict Mr. Vijayan, his daughter T. Veena, and former Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas on corruption charges. 

“The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-controlled ED’s bid to enlist the UDF government to launch a political witch-hunt against the CPI(M) is loaded with heavy irony. Ms. Veena’s software firm Exalogic Solution’s transactions with the CMRL were based on a contractual agreement, and the retainer fee she received as a consultant was through legal banking channels and tax-compliant,” Mr. Govindan said. 

Mr. Govindan said Exalogic received a significantly lower retainer fee for legally rendered software consultancy services than the political donations allegedly accepted by the UDF Ministers. 

“However, the ED has no case against the UDF Ministers. And it has not demanded that the State police launch a criminal inquiry into the political pay-offs. Instead, the ED has built a false case against CPI(M) leaders based on now-retracted statements obtained from the CMRL management under intense physical and emotional duress. The UDF government is playing second fiddle to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-controlled Central agency as part of its covert understanding with the BJP during the Assembly elections,” he said.

Mr. Govindan accused the UDF government of being the BJP’s B-team in Kerala. “The Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments had dismissed similar demands made by the ED against politicians hailing from anti-BJP parties as legally untenable. In contrast, Mr. Satheesan has insisted on a police inquiry that will potentially have double-edged legal and political consequences for some of his Cabinet colleagues and also the ruling alliance in Keralam, including violation of election funding rules,” Mr. Govindan added.

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