Kerala CM's daughter in research grant row

30 Jan 2009,


THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Close on the heels of the row over the SNC-Lavalin deal in which the CBI has sought to prosecute politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan, a fresh controversy over a research grant to CM V S Achuthanandan's daugther has hit the ruling CPM in Kerala. The timing of the allegation against the CM's daughter is curious. It comes a day after Achuthanandan refused to go by the party line that Pinarayi's case was politically motivated.

The controversy is over a Rs 35-lakh research grant to V V Asha, the CM's daughter who is a scientist at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology in Thiruvananthapuram. The Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE), a state-run research institute, has decided to give the grant under the Marine Biotechnology Research Programme of the Kerala Biotechnology Mission, a wing of KSCSTE.

The allegation against Asha is that she doesn't have any published research paper on marine biotechnology and her selection smacks of nepotism.Achuthanandan is the president of KSCSTE in his capacity as CM.

Asha has, however, denied that there is any nepotism in her selection. She says she is not the principal researcher, but only a co-investigator in a team of researchers.

"I have more than 18 years of research experience in drug development. I've reviewed research papers for various publications and also guided students,'' Asha said defending her selection.

She said there were presently projects funded by institutions, including the department of biotechnology at the Centre going on under her guidance. "The allegations have no basis and are aimed only at maligning me,'' she said.