Surendran Seeks Disclosure of Satheesan's Chartered Flight 'Sponsors'
BJP national secretary K. Surendran has demanded that Kerala CM V.D. Satheesan reveal who funds his chartered flight travel, and criticised Sabarimala arrangements.
BJP national secretary K. Surendran has called on Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan to make public the identities of individuals allegedly funding his travel on chartered flights. Speaking to the media in Kasaragod, he said that if the sponsors could not be named, questions would arise about whether they had questionable backgrounds or whether the arrangement carried any expectation of reciprocal favours.
Mr. Surendran extended the demand to Ministers travelling abroad at the expense of friends, saying the identities of those footing the bills should be disclosed. He also asked whether Minister K.M. Shaji's reported use of a friend's luxury car was similarly linked to an expectation of return favours. In a sarcastic remark, he said the Minister and UDF leaders were behaving like children who had suddenly found a pile of jackfruit.
Turning to the ruling front, he alleged that the United Democratic Front was acting out of frustration after being out of power for ten years and was attempting to accomplish in three months what the previous Pinarayi Vijayan government had done over a decade.
Mr. Surendran also criticised the government's preparations for the coming Sabarimala pilgrimage season, alleging a lack of experience in handling the arrangements. He said only 50 days remained before the mandalam season and claimed that little progress had been made in putting basic facilities in place.
He accused Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan of merely issuing statements and shifting blame to the Travancore Devaswom Board president instead of taking responsibility. Describing the Minister as behaving like a chicken let loose in the moonlight while blaming the TDB, he alleged that the former was evading his duties.
Mr. Surendran further alleged that the pilgrimage would be disrupted this season and that sufficient quantities of Aravana could not be prepared within the available time. He also pointed to concerns over incomplete construction works and the availability of Aravana.