Kerala Minister KM Shaji is facing scrutiny regarding his choice of transportation for official duties after it was revealed he utilized a Range Rover belonging to a friend. In response to the controversy, Minister Shaji stated that he sees no ethical or procedural conflict in using the vehicle, provided that the established government protocols were followed.

While the minister asserts that the arrangement was handled according to prescribed procedures, the incident has sparked a debate regarding the optics of a public official accepting the use of high-end private vehicles. The minister’s defense centers on the claim that the vehicle's ownership does not interfere with his official responsibilities or violate any specific regulations. However, critics suggest that such arrangements raise questions about transparency and potential conflicts of interest, even if the minister insists that no rules were broken during the process. The report from NDTV focuses primarily on the minister's own justification for the decision, leaving the specific details of the 'prescribed procedures' he referenced largely unexplained.