Kozhikode: In what can be seen as either a coincidence or a collaborative effort, the next generation of the Panakkad Thangal family and Muslim League's nemesis K T Jaleel have simultaneously charged the League general secretary P K Kunhalikutty of trapping the League's spiritual head Panakkad Sayed Hyderali Shihab Thangal in a money laundering scandal.
While Jaleel had been raising the issue for two consecutive days in the Assembly, Thangal's son Mueen Ali Shihab Thangal sprang a surprise during a Press Meet called at the League House in Kozhikode on Thursday to defend the League.
Butting in during the media interaction, Mueen Ali said P K Kunhalikutty and Ebrahim Kunju were responsible for the notices issued to his father by the Enforcement Directorate. "Kunhalikutty was also the cause of Hyderali Thangal's deep emotional distress," said Mueen Ali, who is also the vice president of the National Youth League.
The ED has issued a second notice to Thangal in a money laundering case related to Chandrika, of which Thangal is the chairman and managing director. Thangal is also said to be ill and bedridden for over a month. 'Never before has the Panakkad family faced such a situation," Ali said.
He said the sordid affairs in Chandrika was the result of mismanagement by the daily's finance director Shameer, a nominee of Kunhalikutty. He wanted a probe to be instituted after suspending Shameer.
Mueen Ali's unexpected outburst led to unseemly scenes at the League House. A Muslim League worker barged into the press conference hall, threatened Ali and showered him with abuses.
Mueen Ali's surprise attack came minutes after Jaleel urged the ED to withdraw the notice sent to Thangal and instead redirect it to Kunhalikutty. "Thangal has no idea of the transactions that had taken place in Chandrika. Even the ED knows that Kunhalikutty is the real culprit," Jaleel told reporters in the Media Room of the Legislative Complex on Thursday. He said Kunhalikutty had used the accounts of Chandrika Daily to launder black money.
"He was betraying Thangal and the Panakkad family," Jaleel, a former League member, said.
The former minister likened Chandrika daily to a "destitute pujari" of an immensely wealthy temple.
"Chandrika has run up provident fund arrears of Rs 5 crore. Its employees are not even paid their salaries. The management has to pay Rs 6 crore to the firm where the paper was printed in the UAE. However, in the name of such an outstanding amount, Kunhalikutty and his handpicked men had collected four and a half million UAE Dirham. But not a single rupee from this has been used to repay the UAE printing firm," Jaleel said.
In fact, Kunhalikutty himself has said that Thangal had no connection to the financial dealings of Chandrika. Jaleel, however, wants Kunhalikutty to inform this in writing to the ED. "Only then will they summon Kunhalikutty instead of Thangal," Jaleel said.
The Muslim League, on their part, has said that the disputed amount of nearly Rs 10 crore was collected as subscription amount. The amount of nine crore ninety five lakh rupees was deposited in Chandrika's account in Punjab National Bank in two installments.
It was in July, 2020, that the ED first questioned Chandrika officials about the amount. The League spokespersons said that the ED was given all the documents they had asked for.
But, here is Jaleel's poser: "If they have convinced the ED of their innocence, why have they sent a secod notice to Thangal?"