Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan’s Malappuram trip on Monday to assess rainfall-related damages on a chartered flight sparked allegations about ‘sponsorship’ from Left organisations.

Mr. Satheesan’s office said a special flight was chartered as the lease on the police helicopter had expired and given the urgency linked to the Chief Minister’s visit to the disaster-affected areas. The CMO also maintained that the charter had not incurred any expenditure for the government.

Meanwhile, Mr. Satheesan’s decision to opt for a chartered flight drew criticism from the Students Federation of India (SFI). In a social media post, SFI State secretary Sanjeev P.S. took a dig at the CM, saying that it was alleged that the expense of the charter was shouldered by a “sponsor.” “If we call it a violation of the Oath of Office, the IUML and the Congress would argue that it has not caused any loss to the State, only profit to the government,” he said.