Thiruvananthapuram, 23 Sept (H.S.): Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has defended his use of a privately arranged aircraft to visit Malappuram after a serious accident, saying urgent situations sometimes require such travel and that the trip cost the state government nothing.

Satheesan said he had travelled openly and saw no reason to disclose who had arranged the aircraft. When the accident occurred, he looked for the quickest way to reach Malappuram, and an acquaintance arranged the flight, he said.

“If I had not gone, the criticism would have been that the Chief Minister did not even visit the place,” Satheesan said, asking what was wrong with accepting the travel arrangement. He said the person who helped him was a Malayali and questioned why that person should be drawn into the controversy.

The Chief Minister said he would use a privately arranged aircraft again if circumstances required it. Former Kerala chief ministers Pinarayi Vijayan and Oommen Chandy had travelled by helicopter, he said, adding that chief ministers elsewhere in India also use aircraft for official duties.

Rejecting suggestions that the person who arranged the flight expected a favour in return, Satheesan said the government would grant no special consideration over the arrangement.

Satheesan also defended Minister K.M. Shaji’s use of a privately owned Range Rover. Several ministers’ official vehicles were bought in 2017, he said, and some had broken down while in use. Shaji used the private vehicle in such circumstances, the Chief Minister said, adding that he saw nothing wrong with it.

The explanations addressed two separate questions about ministers’ travel: who arranged the Chief Minister’s flight and why Shaji used a private luxury vehicle. Satheesan maintained that the flight imposed no expense on the public exchequer, while declining to identify its sponsor.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman