Legal Action Will Be Taken Against MediaOne, Online Media for Fake News Reporting, Says Minister M B Rajesh

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Minister M B Rajesh has stated that certain media outlets are spreading false information ahead of the upcoming elections and warned that legal action will be taken against those responsible.

In a note shared on his official Facebook page, the minister specifically accused MediaOne and some online media platforms of publishing “fake news” claiming that he and Kadannappally Ramachandran had violated the law by simultaneously receiving a minister’s salary and a former Member of Parliament’s pension.

Rajesh said the allegation was baseless and asserted that he had informed the relevant authorities about his financial status well in advance.

According to the minister, after becoming Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly, he wrote to the Lok Sabha Secretariat on January 10, 2022, requesting that his MP pension be revised in accordance with the law since he was drawing a salary as Speaker. He also asked that any excess amount already credited to his account be deducted.

Rajesh said he repeated the same request after becoming a minister and wrote again to the Lok Sabha Secretariat on February 17, 2023. In response, the Secretariat informed him on May 22, 2023, that the pension had been recalculated as per the rules and that the excess amount paid earlier had been adjusted.

“The salary and pension have been revised according to the law. There has been no violation,” he stated, adding that he has shared the relevant documents publicly.

The minister also criticized what he described as misinterpretation of a letter from the AG’s office, which cited communication from the Rajya Sabha Pay&Accounts section stating that he had never been a member of the Rajya Sabha.

Rajesh said this itself showed the report’s lack of credibility, noting that his case falls under the jurisdiction of the Lok Sabha Secretariat because he served as a member of the Lok Sabha.

He stated that the report was published without proper verification and reiterated that legal steps would be taken against those responsible for spreading the claims.