Thiruvananthapuram: CPM and CPI state secretaries M V Govindan and Binoy Viswam have come out against chief minister V D Satheesan’s refusal to disclose the name of the sponsor who bore the expense of his air travel from Thiruvananthapuram to Malappuram on a chartered flight.Govindan rejected the excuses given by the CM for availing himself of the free travel, quoting the English idiom, “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” Govindan said Satheesan was hiding the name of his sponsor because he had something to hide. He said CM’s claim that Pinarayi Vijayan too had travelled on the same private flight was a ploy to divert public attention.“Keralam has the right to know who sponsored the CM. Hiding the name of the sponsor is wrong and unconstitutional,” he said, adding that the details of those who sponsored a luxury car for LSGI minister K M Shaji should also be revealed. Govindan said businessmen would not let anyone use their costly vehicles free of cost.Meanwhile, Viswam said the CM and ministers had sponsors whose names were not worth mentioning publicly. Govt loses its senses in the presence of wealthy people, he said, adding that no govt in the state had lost face as quickly as V D Satheesan govt did. Binoy also said nobody would give anything for free.The CPI state secretary, however, refused to respond to the SIT probe against opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter Veena T and her husband P A Mohamed Riyas. He, however, said CPI would be in the forefront of protests if LDF and CPM were attacked with political motives.
