The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG)‘s report pointing out that the State sustained losses worth crores due to irregularities in purchases made by Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd. during the pandemic is a clear justification of the allegations raised by the Opposition that large-scale corruption had taken place with the tacit approval of the Chief Minister, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan has said.
The CAG report affirms the graft allegations raised by Congress MLA P.C. Vishnunath in the Assembly that PPE kits worth ₹1,032 cr were purchased by KMSCL, at rates which were 300% more than the actual price of the items, that too from dubious firms.
The Opposition had alleged that when PPE kits were available in the State for ₹456 per kit, KMSCL bought it for ₹1,550 per kit. Gloves worth crores were purchased at ₹12 per pair when the same was readily available at ₹7 per pair.
Six corrupt deals
Mr. Satheesan said that the CAG report highlighting the irregularities in purchase by KMSCL is just one among several corrupt deals that the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government was mired in. In fact, the Opposition raised allegations of six major corrupt deals against the government.
The complaint filed by the Opposition regarding the irregularities in COVID-19 purchases was still under the consideration of the Lok Ayukta.
He said that according to the then Health Minister K.K. Shailaja, “all corrupt deals had taken place with the full knowledge of the Chief Minister.”
Regarding the RTI query by Mathew Kuzhalnadan, MLA, seeking GST payment details of Exalogic, the IT firm owned by the Chief Minister’s daughter and which the government had refused to provide, citing privacy issues, Mr. Satheesan said that the common man on the street had a right to know if the firm had paid GST as is required of it.
The information is not confidential and the government was refusing to share the information because it is afraid of the truth getting out there, he said.
He also pointed out that the CPI(M) leader M.M. Mani’s comments were getting out of hand and that the CPI(M) was deliberately allowing him to disparage senior politicians and even civil servants.
Mr. Satheesan said that Mr. Vijayan had made use of the very same M. M. Mani to torpedo the Munnar mission launched by V.S. Achuthanandan, to reclaim government land from encroachers. Mr. Mani was at the forefront opposing the efforts by the authorities to reclaim government land because some family member of Mr. Mani would be involved in every case of encroachment.
The government was misusing its power, blatantly allowing all this, Mr. Satheesan said.
