Kerala CM Satheesan's Private Flights Spark Controversy Over Sponsors

Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan's decision to take a chartered aircraft to assess flash floods in a region has sparked intense opposition scrutiny. With demands for him to disclose the names of the sponsors. The controversy has also landed another cabinet colleague.

Minister K M Shaji, in a similar row over using a private car for official purposes.

On Monday, Satheesan took a private aircraft to Nilambur, a region within the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency represented by Priyanka Gandhi, to visit the families of six people who had lost their lives in a flash flood. Since then, both the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Bharatiya Janata Party have demanded that Satheesan disclose the names of the sponsors.

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On Wednesday, the growing uproar prompted Satheesan to defend his decision.

As the assembly election results were set to be revealed, Chief Minister Satheesan had arranged for a helicopter to ferry him from Kochi to Mangaluru, a move that sparked renewed scrutiny. The CM's decision to take a chopper to Thiruvananthapuram from Kochi last month. A trip initially booked by the previous government for official purposes, has also raised eyebrows.

Both instances have drawn criticism from the Opposition, who have sought to scrutinize the CM's actions.

Minister K M Shaji, who holds the local self-government department, also landed in a similar controversy earlier last week when he used his NRI friend’s Range Rover for official purposes, with the private car bearing the state emblem and the national flag. Shaji had justified it by saying he was saving public money.

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Satheesan, a transportation official, has come under scrutiny for allegedly using a friend's luxury vehicle without permission. He maintains that adhering to regulations allows him to use such vehicles. Satheesan also defended Shaji, stating that his official car is unsuitable for extended trips.

Senior CPI(M) leader P Rajeeve, a former law minister, is calling on the chief minister to disclose the source of funding for recent trips. This includes a recent visit to Malappuram. Rajeeve alleges that the government is being backed by corporate interests.

He believes that if the chief minister had accepted funding from an aviation firm. This is awaiting renewal of its government contract for another year. It would constitute a serious breach of the Prevention of Corruption Act.