Kerala CM Defends Private Flight, Ministers' Foreign Trips

Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has defended his use of a privately arranged aircraft to visit flood-affected areas in Malappuram, maintaining that no government funds were involved and that he would take similar flights again if required.

Speaking at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Mr. Satheesan said there was nothing improper about the trip because not a single rupee had been drawn from the exchequer. He said he would continue to take such flights whenever the need arose.

Explaining the circumstances, the Chief Minister said the agreement with the helicopter company had lapsed on September 19. After attending the Sree Narayana Guru Samadhi event at Sivagiri, he needed to reach Malappuram immediately because six people had died in the disaster. With no other means of reaching quickly, an acquaintance arranged a plane for him, he said, asking what was wrong with that arrangement.

When pressed on the identity of the person who provided the aircraft, Mr. Satheesan declined to disclose it. He noted that Chief Ministers across the country, as well as former Chief Ministers Pinarayi Vijayan and Oommen Chandy, had travelled on planes owned by private individuals without revealing such details. He said the individual in this case was a Keralite and questioned why names should be dragged into the matter.

The Chief Minister also defended Local Self Governments Minister K.M. Shaji's use of a friend's car for official purposes. He said Mr. Shaji had been using an official vehicle that was ten years old and broke down frequently, prompting him to use his friend's car with the necessary permission. Former ministers had similarly travelled in privately owned cars, he added, and there was nothing wrong with it.

On the foreign trips undertaken by ministers in recent weeks, Mr. Satheesan said they had not cost the public exchequer and dismissed allegations of possible quid pro quo in wealthy individuals sponsoring such visits. He said the government examines whether a proposed trip would burden the exchequer when requests are submitted.

Highlighting Kerala's large diaspora, particularly in the Gulf, he said there are over 1,000 organisations of Keralites in the UAE that invite ministers to various events. Some trips are sponsored by organisations or friends, he said, adding that he had granted sanction for the ministers to travel so they could learn from experiences abroad. He stated that he would continue to give permission for such foreign visits in the future.