Kerala Minister addresses CMRL diary controversy

Kerala Health Minister K. Muraleedharan has addressed the controversy surrounding a purported diary belonging to S.N. Shashidharan Kartha, the Managing Director of CMRL. Following allegations raised by BJP leader Shon George, Muraleedharan distinguished between funds received during elections and money linked to corruption.

“Receiving money during elections and receiving corruption money are two different things,” Muraleedharan stated, adding that he has no objection to an investigation into the diary. The controversy erupted after George released a page from the diary, claiming it is part of documents submitted to a court regarding the CMRL-Exalogic monthly payment case.

The released page reportedly contains the names of various political leaders from different parties. BJP leaders have questioned why a vigilance inquiry has not been conducted against former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, suggesting the presence of these names may be a reason for the lack of investigation. Muraleedharan emphasized that the state government would comply with official requests from the Enforcement Directorate (ED).