Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 10 (PTI) Opposition Congress andBJP today sharpened their attack on the CPI(M)-led Keralagovernment as an order for payment of Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan's helicopter ride from the state disaster relief fundkicked off a controversy.
The state government later cancelled the order.
The opposition has alleged misuse of the fund meant forOchki yclone relief.
The Congress demanded registration of a corruption caseover the matter, while the BJP wanted the Centre to monitorutilisation of the Ockhi cyclone relief fund.
The payment to the tune of Rs 8 lakh was for hiring aprivate helicopter for flying Vijayan from Thrissur to statecapital and back on December 26 for a meeting with thevisiting inter-ministerial central team, which had come toassess the damage caused by the cyclone which hit the southerncoast of the state on November 29-30 last.
Vijayan, also a CPI(M) polit bureau member, was inThrissur for attending the CPI(M) district conference.
KPCC president M M Hassan said the attempt to divert thestate disaster relief fund (SDRF) was not only anirregularity, but amounted to corruption.
He demanded that a vigilance case be registered againstthe chief minister.
In Kochi, Leader of Opposition in the assembly RameshChennithala said it was a "serious lapse" on part of thegovernment.
"It is a highly condemnable act," he said.
"The Chief Minister's Office says it was not kept in theloop on the issue. If so, then what is the need for such anoffice?" Chennithala asked.
Kerala BJP president Kummanam Rajasekharan said divertingdisaster relief fund was a "heartless" action and a criminaloffence.
The chief minister and the CPI(M) cannot absolvethemselves now and that it was a "naked misuse of power", healleged.
Meanwhile, BJP state general secretary M T Ramesh, wroteto Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking to monitor theutilisation of Ockhi relief fund, a party release said.
The LDF government also came in for criticism from theLatin Catholic Church, to which most of the cyclone-affectedfishermen belong.
Church officials said the controversy was a pointer tothe possibilities of Ockhi relief fund getting divertedinstead of reaching the deserving persons.
Meanwhile, state Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan saidan explanation had been sought from Revenue SecretaryP H Kurien, who had issued the order for the payment.
He also said neither he nor his office was aware of thecontroversial order.
The government, while cancelling the order, hadmaintained that it was issued without the knowledge of thechief minister or his office.
A statement issued by CMO's office had clarified that thehelicopter was hired for Vijayan and other ministers' journeyon December 26 for a meeting with the central team.
That was the reason the State Disaster ManagementAuthority issued the order for the payment from the disasterrelief fund, it was stated. PTI JRK TGB UD VSSRY.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.