Kerala CM Satheesan Faces Heat Over Private Chopper Rides

Four months into his tenure, Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan is facing mounting Opposition questions over transparency and propriety, centred on his use of privately sponsored aircraft for official and personal travel.

The latest flashpoint came on Monday, when Satheesan flew to Nilambur in Malappuram district by private aircraft to meet the families of six people killed in flash floods. The region falls within the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency.

Both the CPI(M) and the BJP have demanded that the Chief Minister disclose who sponsored the flight. On Wednesday, Satheesan defended the arrangement, stating that he is in charge of disaster management and that the helicopter was arranged by a private individual who is a Keralite. He questioned why the sponsor's name should be revealed or dragged into controversy, asserting that no favours would be sought or granted and that the state government incurred no cost.

This is not the first such instance. Days before assembly election results were announced, Satheesan hired a chopper from Kochi to Mangaluru. Last month, he took another trip from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi in a helicopter leased by the previous government for official purposes, including anti-Maoist operations and transporting harvested organs. On both occasions, the Opposition sought answers, alleging he had travelled to meet NDA leaders in the first case and to visit his ailing father-in-law in the second — claims Satheesan denied. He again declined to name the sponsor.

The previous government had leased a chopper from Chipsan Aviation for a monthly rent of Rs 80 lakh with 25 flying hours. That agreement ended on September 19, and negotiations for a fresh contract are ongoing. While in Opposition, Satheesan had criticised the lease as extravagant.

Separately, Local Self-Government Minister K M Shaji of the Indian Union Muslim League drew similar scrutiny last week after using an NRI friend's Range Rover for official purposes, with the vehicle bearing the state emblem and national flag. Shaji justified the move as saving public money, saying he saw nothing wrong in using friends' vehicles after following relevant norms.

Satheesan defended Shaji, noting that the official car allotted to him is unfit for long-distance travel, that most ministers use decade-old vehicles, and that the finance department has restricted new purchases. He said Shaji's car broke down and the government paid nothing for the borrowed vehicle.

Senior CPI(M) leader and former law minister P Rajeeve demanded that the Chief Minister reveal who is footing these bills, accusing the government of being sponsored by corporates. He warned that if the Malappuram trip was funded by the aviation firm awaiting a renewed contract, it would constitute a serious offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act. On Shaji's use of private cars, Rajeeve said clearly laid-down norms exist and that the minister had misused his position, bringing the matter under the same Act.