Row over Kerala CM’s helicopter trip refuses to die down as Satheesan appears to contradict earlier statement

Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan

| Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN

In an apparent contradiction of his earlier statement on his controversial July 31 helicopter trip, Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Wednesday (August 5, 2026) said he had met an investor in Ernakulam as he was in the district that day.After the controversy broke out, Mr. Satheesan had on Monday said the helicopter trip was “not for a personal purpose” but to meet an investment delegation that had arrived after meeting the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and was scheduled to return to Delhi on Sunday. Although he had initially planned to travel by Vande Bharat Express, the schedule was changed because of the urgency of the meeting, he had said.When asked about the discrepancy between his latest explanation and the one he gave on Monday, Mr. Satheesan declined to respond. He also refused to disclose the identity of the investor.Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary M.V. Govindan had on Tuesday alleged that the Chief Minister was trying to “mask facts through repeated lies” in his press conferences.Earlier reports on the Chief Minister’s helicopter trip, which was initially prevented from landing due to inclement weather, suggested that he was visiting his father-in-law, who was undergoing treatment.