Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan came under attack from the opposition on Saturday over reports that he used a government-hired helicopter for a personal visit to Kochi, with Left leaders accusing him of misusing public resources.
A section of the media reported that Satheesan recently used the helicopter to visit his ailing father-in-law, who is undergoing treatment in Kochi.
As per the reports, the helicopter, in which the CM was travelling, took off from the Kowdiar Golf Club ground here but was forced to return to the state capital after it could not land in Kochi due to adverse weather conditions. It later resumed the journey after the weather improved, the reports said.
The opposition criticised Satheesan, claiming that the CM has adopted a tough stand against the previous LDF government for hiring a helicopter, citing the state's financial crisis.
Left leaders alleged that the chief minister had taken a contradictory position after assuming office by allegedly using the helicopter for a personal trip.
Former ministers and CPI(M) leaders V Sivankutty and M B Rajesh criticised the chief minister in separate Facebook posts.
Without directly naming Satheesan or referring to the controversy, Sivankutty mocked the aborted flight, saying, "A helicopter made a U-turn."
Rajesh alleged that the Chief Minister had undertaken the personal trip in the helicopter twice.
In a sarcastic Facebook post, he wrote: "There goes a government helicopter in the sky. It flew from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi. Not once, but twice. Not for flood relief. Not for any official purpose. Completely personal."
Meanwhile, Health Minister K Muraleedharan defended Satheesan, saying there was nothing unusual in using a helicopter instead of a car.
"As times change, people choose helicopters instead of cars. What is the big issue in that? No one has objected to the use of helicopters," the minister told reporters here.
