Kerala’s political paradox: The helicopter hasn’t changed, the govt in cockpit has

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 3 (IANS) Kerala politics has found its newest protagonist, the helicopter. Not because helicopters are new to Kerala’s political landscape.

Quite the contrary. The government’s monthly helicopter lease itself was introduced during the decade-long Pinarayi Vijayan administration (2016-2026), with the stated objective of enabling rapid response during natural disasters, anti-Maoist operations and other emergencies.

What has changed is the politics surrounding it.

The latest controversy over Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan’s helicopter journey to Kochi has once again exposed an old Kerala political tradition, arguments that often change with the side of the aisle.

The Congress maintains that the Chief Minister’s visit was an official tour during which he also visited his ailing father-in-law in hospital.

The CPI(M), however, has questioned whether a helicopter meant for emergency use should have been deployed in the circumstances, especially at a time when large parts of Kerala are battling floods.

Yet the political debate has quickly moved beyond the journey itself.

Social media has been awash with posts from both sides, many recalling that it was the Pinarayi Vijayan government that first opted for a leased helicopter despite sharp criticism from the then Opposition.

The same helicopter that was defended as an administrative necessity during the Left’s tenure is today being projected by many in the CPI(M) ecosystem as an example of governmental excess under the new administration.

It is a role reversal that instantly brings back one of the most memorable political observations made by the now late Oommen Chandy, who was at the helm of the state on two occasions in the past.

“In Kerala, the issue is often not what is being done, but who is doing it,” was Chandy’s stock statement.

Few political remarks have survived the test of time as convincingly.

Throughout his years in office and in the Opposition, Chandy often accused the Left of opposing ideas until it eventually embraced them itself.

Whether it was tractors, computers, private investment or administrative reforms, he would often argue that the objection was rarely about the policy, it was about who implemented it.

Today, the helicopter appears to have joined that list.

The machine has not changed.

The concept has not changed.

The lease arrangement has not changed.

What has changed is the government occupying the cockpit of power.

Perhaps that is why the helicopter has become far more than a means of transport.

It has become the latest exhibit in Kerala’s enduring political paradox, that principles often travel on different flight paths depending on who is at the controls.

–IANS

sg/rad