IANS/Thiruvananthapuram
A meeting early yesterday between former Kerala chief minister V S Achuthanandan and a man being investigated by three government agencies has begun to raise eyebrows.
The veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader, currently leader of the opposition in the state assembly, is reported to have met a man called Nandakumar at a government guest house in Aluva, about 250km from the state capital.
Youth Congress state president P C Vishnunadh told reporters here that Nandakumar’s credentials were first questioned by eminent lawyer Ram Kumar, who alleged that he managed Achuthanandan’s cases and was known to influence judges.
“Nandakumar is currently being probed by the vigilance department, police and the income tax department,” Vishnunadh said. “He is a known middleman for deals of multinational companies and has met Achuthanandan and was close to him when he was the chief minister.”
The first to react was Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty, whose running feud with the CPM veteran is well-known. He said at Malappuram that the early morning meeting was really surprising.
“All who heard about this rendezvous are surprised because the meeting took place as early as at 6am,” he said. “People wish to know what transpired between the two because Nandakumar’s credentials have already come under a cloud.”
Vishnunadh endorsed the view. “It is quite surprising that Achuthanandan, who claims to hold the high moral ground, moves with such dubious persons.”
Meanwhile, Nandakumar told reporters his meeting with Achuthanandan was purely personal. “All the allegations that are being aired are baseless,” he said.
He agreed that various agencies were probing him and he was co-operating with them in all respects. “I have nothing to hide and I am not the person who is handling the various cases of Achuthanandan,” he said.
“I agree that when Achuthanandan was the chief minister I met him because I was representing a company with business interests in the state,” Nandkumar said. “What is wrong in that?”
He also denied having links with Achuthanandan’s son V A Arunkumar, currently being probed by the vigilance department on numerous counts, including the manner in which he got the post of a director in a state-run institution when his father was the chief minister.
Achuthanandan had earlier too courted controversy with his allegations that Uthradom Tirunal Marthanda Varma, the head of the Travancore Royal family, used to spirit out gold from the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple.
The allegations came after treasure, thought to be worth billions of rupees, was unearthed from the temple’s secret underground chambers.
Precious stones, gold and silver were among valuables found at the temple.