BJP slams appointment of 'external cooperation' secy by Kerala, Tharoor calls it 'fairly unusual'

The BJP in Kerala slammed the LDF government on Saturday (July 20) for assigning an IAS officer additional responsibilities related to 'External Cooperation'. The party said that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should not treat the state as if it were an independent country.

BJP state president K Surendran said that appointing IAS officer K Vasuki as a "foreign secretary of the state" was "unconstitutional" and a "flagrant violation of the federal principles".

Govt order

Vasuki, who is the Secretary of Labour and Skills Department, was by a government order dated July 15 given the additional charge of "the matters connected with the External Cooperation".

The July 15 order further said that the General Administration (Political) Department will deal with the subjects related to external co-operation and will assist Vasuki till alternate arrangements are made.

"The Resident Commissioner, Kerala House, New Delhi will support the officer in the matters of External Co-operation, to liaise with the Ministry of External Affairs, Missions and Embassies etc," the order said.

Scathing attack

In his statement criticising the order, Surendran made a scathing attack on Vijayan saying that if things go forward like this, "the CM will feel that he needs his own consulate and foreign minister".

He said that External Affairs falls in the domain of the Centre and the state government's move to intervene in it sends a bad signal to the country.

The BJP state chief also said that Vijayan was facing allegations of gold smuggling through diplomatic channels and carrying out fund collections abroad.

He questioned whether the "foreign secretary of the state" was appointed to support Vijayan's alleged financial relations in Gulf nations.

Surendran called for immediately revoking the appointment which was destroying the unity and integrity of the nation.

The BJP leader also said that such appointments would only serve to accelerate the collapse of the state which is in severe financial crisis.

'Fairly unusual'

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former diplomat Shashi Tharoor on Saturday termed the Kerala government's move to appoint a foreign secretary in the state as "fairly unusual" but noted that the bureaucrat has no foreign relationship responsibility of her own.

The order said that the Resident Commissioner at Kerala House in the national capital will be supporting Vasuki in matters concerning external cooperation and will liaise with the ministry of external affairs, missions and embassies.

Speaking on the controversy, Shashi Tharoor said it is entirely appropriate for state governments to work without Embassies abroad for matters involving their residents.

Centre controls foreign relations

“The fact is that foreign relations are controlled by the Union government and no state government has any independent foreign relations but it is entirely appropriate for state governments to work without Embassies abroad for matter involving their residents," he told PTI.

“Now to give a specific responsibility of this nature to one official is fairly unusual. But it is very clearly understood that she has no foreign relationship responsibility of her own but it would be basically through Indian government's bodies,” Tharoor added.

(With agency inputs)