Thiruvananthapuram: In response to the Kerala government’s decision to appoint its own ‘foreign secretary,’ the BJP’s state unit criticized Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday, accusing him of ‘blatant overreach and constitutional violation.’
“The appointment of an IAS officer as ‘Foreign Secretary’ in Kerala by CM Pinarayi Vijayan represents a blatant overreach and contravenes the Union List of our Constitution. The LDF government lacks jurisdiction in foreign affairs,” stated K Surendran, the chief of BJP’s Kerala unit, on X.
“This unconstitutional act sets a dangerous precedent. Is CM @pinarayivijayan attempting to make Keralam an independent nation?” inquired Surendran.
Senior IAS officer K Vasuki has been named by the Kerala government as ‘secretary responsible for external cooperation matters.’
“Secretary (labour and skills) K Vasuki is to additionally handle matters related to external cooperation. The officer will coordinate and oversee all related matters, in addition to her existing responsibilities,” read a state government order dated July 15.
The order further stated that the general administration (political) department will support Vasuki until alternative arrangements are made. The resident commissioner of Kerala House in New Delhi is to aid her in liaising with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi and Indian embassies and missions overseas.
Ex-cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar expressed scepticism regarding the appointment in a conversation with the newspaper.
“International relations fall under the central government’s purview. State departments seeking international assistance should approach the MEA or Indian embassies. It is expected that the state will elucidate the ‘additional’ duties to be undertaken by the officer beyond those typically performed by department secretaries,” Chandrasekhar commented.
