Minister K M Shaji Offers Bizarre Justification Over Range Rover Controversy

Kozhikode: Minister K M Shaji has offered a strange justification over the controversy surrounding a Range Rover, saying that whichever vehicle a minister travels in is considered the official vehicle and that everyone travelling in a minister’s vehicle does not become a minister.

The minister said it was wrong to use an official position for personal purposes, but claimed there was no legal issue with using private vehicles for government purposes. He dismissed the reports circulating about hin using a Range Rover as mere gossip.

K M Shaji alleged that the media had reported the matter one-sidedly. He said reports initially claimed that the vehicle belonged to him and later said it belonged to a friend. There were also reports that the vehicle had been provided as a quid pro quo, he said.

He criticised the media, saying the belief that a person would do something only expecting something in return was a problem with the mindset of some people.

The minister also claimed that the photograph of him with the Range Rover was AI-generated. Amid the controversy, the minister stopped using the private vehicle and arrived at the Kozhikode Guest House in an official vehicle.