Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan strongly defended himself on Monday against criticism over having lunch during his flood review tour, insisting he had not attended a felicitation function but had simply eaten at a friend's house.
Rejecting the controversy as a "malicious smear campaign", Satheesan said he reached Ponnani around 3 pm and saw nothing wrong in having a meal.
"I had lunch at 3 pm. Was I not supposed to eat? What exactly is my mistake? I did not go there for a felicitation. It was just a meal at a friend's house. Let the people decide if eating food is a crime," the Chief Minister said.
Drawing comparison with the devastating floods of 2018 and 2019, he asked whether then Chief Minister had remained hungry throughout the disaster response.
The Chief Minister said he had remained in constant touch with officials during his journey and had called them en route.
"I have learnt only now that a Chief Minister is apparently not supposed to eat," he remarked sarcastically, adding that the issue was being raised only because his critics had nothing substantive to attack.
Responding to criticism over his recent helicopter travel, Satheesan denied using the aircraft for any private purpose.
"The journey was entirely official. It was for discussions with investors. I had originally booked a Vande Bharat ticket, but the investors had limited time, which is why I travelled by helicopter. My trip did not cost the government even one rupee extra. The helicopter was hired at the same rates fixed by the previous government," he said.
The Chief Minister also targeted his predecessor, alleging that the former government had used SDRF funds for party-related travel.
The CPM dismissed the Chief Minister's explanation as predictable.
Senior CPM leader P Rajeev said Satheesan had himself criticised former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's helicopter travel in the past and was now facing the same questions.
"It is easy to comment from the gallery. Playing on the ground is different," Rajeev said, adding sarcastically that details of the investors' meeting would perhaps emerge as a "surprise" later.
The former law minister also mocked the Chief Minister's defence of the lunch episode, saying he could have simply claimed that he ate to reassure the public that there was no need for panic despite the rain disaster.
"The Left has no intention of making eating food itself a controversy," he said, while maintaining that the timing of the meal during a major rain crisis had invited legitimate public scrutiny.
