Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday expressed deep resentment to the Centre’s denial of clearance to state Health Minister Veena George’s visit to Kuwait to coordinate efforts for Keralites affected by fire tragedy.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Loka Kerala Sabha in Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayan said the health minister, who reached the Nedumbassery airport on June 13, was not able to go further.
“Before she could take the flight, we were informed that she had been denied clearance. This is not the time to get into the propriety of the Centre’s action.I will leave that for another time,” CM Vijayan said.
Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan said it was unfortunate that the state health minister was not allowed to travel to Kuwait.
“A representative of the state government would have helped to better coordinate the relief efforts. The state’s representative would also have been able to help the Union government to carry out the relief efforts,” Satheesan said.
State Health Minister Veena George also criticised the Centre’s denial of permission to her at the last minute. This should not have been done to Kerala, she said.
Meanwhile, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan came out in support of the Centre’s action. He said when the bodies of the deceased were being brought on Friday, what would Veena George have achieved by going there on Thursday?
“What is the use in sending the minister for a day? There is no point in the minister going to Kuwait to spend a few hours. The Union Minister has gone to Kuwait and made all the arrangements. The Central government had intervened to bring all the dead bodies to the country,” the Governor said
He, however, said he does not know the legal side of the Centre’s denial of permission to Veena George.
Union Minister of State for Tourism and Petroleum Suresh Gopi said, “People who are at the helm of affairs when it comes to diplomatic transactions and connections are into it. Do not be worried. They are also capable.”
He appealed to the media to avoid creating a controversy over the matter.
Former minister of state for external affairs V Muralidharan also justified the Centre’s action. He said there is no established system of sending state ministers to a foreign country to coordinate relief efforts related to a tragedy.
The state unit of the BJP also came in support of the Central government’s decision. BJP state president K Surendran said sending a state minister to Kuwait was not necessary as all procedures related to the repatriation of the bodies were completed under the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday itself. Why then should the Central government unnecessarily send a state minister to coordinate the procedure,” Surendran asked.