Thiruvananthapuram: Veekshanam, the mouth piece of the Congress in the state, has landed in a soup after the registrar of companies (RoC) cancelled its registration of the failure to submit audited accounts for the last three years. The RoC has also disqualified opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, KPCC president M.M. Hassan and UDF convener P.P. Thankachan, directors of Veekshanam Printing and Publishing Company Ltd, for holding positions in the director board for five years.
Congress sources said the management did not bother to file the returns for the financial years 2014– 15, 2015–16 and 2016–17. However, P.T. Thomas, MLA, who recently took over as managing director and chief editor of Veekshanam, had started the process to file the balance sheet and meet the other statutory requirements. He had appointed a new set of auditors as well as a chartered accountant who had taken steps to file the balance sheet.
Mr Thomas told DC that Veekshanam’s recognition has not been cancelled. “It is a false propaganda that Veekshanam’s recognition has been cancelled,” he said. “The current issue will not in any way affect the printing of the newspaper or its registration. This has happened as the Central government had amended the company laws in 2013 and the current imbroglio has happened due to technical issues.”
He also maintained that as per the website of Registrar of Companies, the status shows that Veekshanam is active. Mr Thomas also said Mr Oommen Chandy is no longer the director board member of Veekshanam. Mr Chandy has been disqualified from the director board of NORKA Roots and not from Veekshanam. A Congress source, however, said the Congress leadership is living in a fool’s paradise. “They have a feeling that it is the UPA government which is ruling the centre even now. The central government had in fact given time until October 31 to file the balance sheet,” he said.
