Political Names in CMRL Diary Spark Debate, Minister Calls for Transparent Inquiry

A diary allegedly belonging to CMRL Managing Director S.N. Shashidharan Kartha has become the centre of a political firestorm in Kerala after a page listing numerous party leaders surfaced. Health Minister Murali Dharan responded on Thursday, insisting that any financial inflows recorded in the diary must be examined objectively. The page, released by BJP activist Shon George, includes names such as Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, former Chief Ministers Oommen Chandy and V.S. Achuthanandan, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, and opposition stalwarts like C.K. Chandrappan and Elamaram Kareem. George argued that the document is part of the Enforcement Directorate’s evidence in the CMRL‑Exalogic monthly‑payment investigation and demanded a vigilance probe into former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Dharan urged the investigative agencies to proceed without obstruction, stressing that the law should be allowed to perform its duty. He also warned that the Kerala government does not blindly accept every directive from the Enforcement Directorate, though any official order must be respected. The controversy adds another layer to the ongoing scrutiny of the CMRL‑Exalogic case, which involves payments to Exalogic Solutions, a firm linked to Vijayan’s daughter Vina Vijayan. Authorities now face the task of determining whether the diary entries represent legitimate political contributions, commercial transactions, or questionable disbursements that require further probing.