The chief minister’s use of a private aircraft on Monday to reach the disaster‑hit Malappuram district has sparked a controversy over transparency, with opposition figures demanding details of the person who arranged and paid for the flight.
Satheesan responded after a cabinet meeting, insisting that “nothing wrong” was done because “not a single penny was spent from the exchequer.” He added that the agreement with the helicopter company had expired on September 19, and that the urgency of the situation – six people had died in the floods – required immediate travel after he attended the Sree Narayana Guru Samadhi event at Sivagiri.
When pressed about the identity of the individual who provided the plane, the chief minister said that other chief ministers, including former Kerala leaders Pinarayi Vijayan and Oommen Chandy, have also used privately owned aircraft, but that such details are typically not disclosed. He described the donor simply as “a Keralite,” without offering a name.
Satheesan also defended Local Self‑Government Minister K.M. Shaji’s decision to use a friend’s ten‑year‑old car for official duties, noting that the vehicle was frequently breaking down and that permission for its use had been granted, a practice he said had precedent among former ministers.
The chief minister further justified recent foreign trips by several ministers, stating that the journeys were sponsored by Keralite organisations and friends in the Gulf and elsewhere, and that none of the trips cost the state treasury. He said he would continue to sanction such travel, arguing that it allows ministers to “learn things from across the world.”
The remarks have intensified calls for greater accountability, with critics accusing the government of a lack of transparency and suggesting possible quid‑pro‑quo arrangements, while the chief minister maintains that all arrangements complied with existing protocols and did not burden taxpayers.