Kerala chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan should publish the passport details of his son V.A. Arunkumar, alleged to be involved in various corruption deals, Congress leader Oommen Chandy said on Monday as the election campaign in the state gathered pace.
The Leader of the Opposition said Mr Achuthanandan claimed to be fighting corruption and all the mafias operating in the state.
“Unlike him, when we raise issues, we do it with full responsibility. I challenge him to publish the foreign travel details of his son,” Mr Chandy told reporters here.
Mr Chandy wrote a letter to Mr Achuthanandan in February highlighting the deals his son was allegedly involved in, and demanded an inquiry.
Allegations against Mr Arunkumar include the scuttling of the CBI probe into the lottery scam in the state; his links with the sandalwood mafia; the manner in which he got a promotion at the state-run Institute for Human Resource Development where he works as joint director; his numerous foreign trips; and misuse of powers when he served as the managing director of the state-run Coirfed during the previous Left Front rule in 1996-2001.
“Achuthanandan asked me to give in writing the allegations against his son and when I did that, he handed over the inquiry to Lok Ayukta. If it had to be the Lok Ayukta, I could have given it (the case) directly,” Mr Chandy said.
“This has nothing to do with the chief minister,” an official in Mr Achuthanandan’s office said.