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Kerala Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan’s early morning meeting with “legal dalal” and “corporate broker” TG Nandakumar in Kochi on Sunday has triggered a controversy with leaders of the Congress-led ruling UDF terming it as “mysterious” and “unbelievable”
Nandakumar, whom the UDF had accused of being a “corporate broker” who had helped an Indian multinational firm to get a foothold in Kerala during the tenure of the former LDF government, met Achuthanandan at the Government Guest House in Aluva (Aluva Palace) near Kochi at about 6.00 am Sunday.
The Crime Branch of the Kerala Police had some time back carried out a raid at Nandakumar’s residence in Kochi on the basis of a petition but there was no explanation whether they had found anything incriminating. There are also allegations that Nandakumar is a Legal Dalal, who could influence Supreme Court judges on sensational cases.
Nandakumar is accused of being the “middleman” in several cases Achuthanandan had been fighting in the Supreme Court. There were allegations that Nandakumar was the “corporate broker” for an Indian multinational company to get a contract in data business in a Kerala Government firm during the previous LDF government’s tenure.
“It is unbelievable,” said Industries Minister PK Kunhalikutty, who holds Achuthanandan responsible for the allegations of sexual abuse of a minor girl against him in the infamous ice cream parlour sex scandal. “What could have transpired between the two at the meeting, which was held early in the morning and away from public eye?” Kunhalikutty asked.
PC Vishnunath, Congress MLA and State Youth Congress president, said that the meeting was proof of Achuthanandan’s dubious connections. “Nandakumar is a corporate broker with no credibility. Why should VS meet such a person? This proves that Achuthanandan’s claim of political morality is just a mask,” he alleged.
An unfazed Achuthanandan said that there was nothing unusual in the meeting as he, as chief minister earlier and Opposition leader now, used to meet several people. He said certain “dependents” of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Kunhalikutty were leveling charges against him as the two leaders were worried over the disclosure of certain facts.
Nandakumar said that unnecessary controversies were being sparked off by vested interests over his “very personal meeting” with Achuthanandan. “My meeting him had nothing to do with politics or legal cases. It was personal. I had met him for how long – two-three minutes? What serious matter could we have discussed in that time?” he asked.
About Vishnunath’s comment on his credibility, Nandakumar said, “How can he comment on my credibility when he does not know me at all? I need no help from Achuthanandan nor does he want any help from me.” About Kunhalikutty’s comment on the meeting, he said he did not have to respond to it.
Nandakumar said several probes had been going on against him but he had never approached Achuthanandan to seek help in such matters. Also, Achuthanandan had not sought his help in the legal cases he had been fighting in the Supreme Court, including the one in which former minister R Balakrishna Pillai was imprisoned, he said.
About the charge that he had accompanied Achuthanandan’s son VA Arunkumar on his controversial foreign visits, Nandakumar said he had never known him personally. “Anybody can examine my passport. That would prove or disprove the allegations of my accompanying him,” he said.
“I have met VS several times when he was chief minister. But none of those meetings was a secret. I had met him as representative of my client companies on matters related with the industrialization of Kerala. One such company is still involved in the proposed Vizhinjam container transshipment project,” Nandakumar said.
Nandakumar, whom the UDF had accused of being a “corporate broker” who had helped an Indian multinational firm to get a foothold in Kerala during the tenure of the former LDF government, met Achuthanandan at the Government Guest House in Aluva (Aluva Palace) near Kochi at about 6.00 am Sunday.
The Crime Branch of the Kerala Police had some time back carried out a raid at Nandakumar’s residence in Kochi on the basis of a petition but there was no explanation whether they had found anything incriminating. There are also allegations that Nandakumar is a Legal Dalal, who could influence Supreme Court judges on sensational cases.
Nandakumar is accused of being the “middleman” in several cases Achuthanandan had been fighting in the Supreme Court. There were allegations that Nandakumar was the “corporate broker” for an Indian multinational company to get a contract in data business in a Kerala Government firm during the previous LDF government’s tenure.
“It is unbelievable,” said Industries Minister PK Kunhalikutty, who holds Achuthanandan responsible for the allegations of sexual abuse of a minor girl against him in the infamous ice cream parlour sex scandal. “What could have transpired between the two at the meeting, which was held early in the morning and away from public eye?” Kunhalikutty asked.
PC Vishnunath, Congress MLA and State Youth Congress president, said that the meeting was proof of Achuthanandan’s dubious connections. “Nandakumar is a corporate broker with no credibility. Why should VS meet such a person? This proves that Achuthanandan’s claim of political morality is just a mask,” he alleged.
An unfazed Achuthanandan said that there was nothing unusual in the meeting as he, as chief minister earlier and Opposition leader now, used to meet several people. He said certain “dependents” of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Kunhalikutty were leveling charges against him as the two leaders were worried over the disclosure of certain facts.
Nandakumar said that unnecessary controversies were being sparked off by vested interests over his “very personal meeting” with Achuthanandan. “My meeting him had nothing to do with politics or legal cases. It was personal. I had met him for how long – two-three minutes? What serious matter could we have discussed in that time?” he asked.
About Vishnunath’s comment on his credibility, Nandakumar said, “How can he comment on my credibility when he does not know me at all? I need no help from Achuthanandan nor does he want any help from me.” About Kunhalikutty’s comment on the meeting, he said he did not have to respond to it.
Nandakumar said several probes had been going on against him but he had never approached Achuthanandan to seek help in such matters. Also, Achuthanandan had not sought his help in the legal cases he had been fighting in the Supreme Court, including the one in which former minister R Balakrishna Pillai was imprisoned, he said.
About the charge that he had accompanied Achuthanandan’s son VA Arunkumar on his controversial foreign visits, Nandakumar said he had never known him personally. “Anybody can examine my passport. That would prove or disprove the allegations of my accompanying him,” he said.
“I have met VS several times when he was chief minister. But none of those meetings was a secret. I had met him as representative of my client companies on matters related with the industrialization of Kerala. One such company is still involved in the proposed Vizhinjam container transshipment project,” Nandakumar said.
