Kerala appoints ‘foreign secretary’; BJP calls out CM Pinarayi Vijayan for ‘blatant overreach’

Senior IAS officer K Vasuki has been appointed by the Kerala government as the state's ‘secretary in charge of matters concerning external cooperation.’

Published on: Jul 20, 2024, 16:26:31 IST

By HT News Desk, New Delhi

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Reacting to the Kerala government appointing a ‘foreign secretary’ for the state, the BJP on Saturday criticised chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan over what the opposition party said was a ‘blatant overreach and violation of the Constitution.’

Also Read: Vikram Misri may be next foreign secretary, Vinay Kwatra new envoy to United States

“The appointment of an IAS officer as ‘Foreign Secretary’ in Kerala by CM Pinarayi Vijayan is a blatant overreach and a violation of the Union List of our Constitution. The LDF government has no mandate in foreign affairs,” K Surendran, BJP's Kerala unit chief, posted on X (formerly Twitter).

“This unconstitutional move sets a dangerous precedent. Is CM @pinarayivijayan trying to establish Keralam as a separate nation?” Surendran asked.

According to The Times of India, the Kerala government has appointed senior IAS officer K Vasuki as ‘secretary in charge of matters concerning external cooperation.’

“Secretary (labour and skills) K Vasuki will hold the additional charge of matters connected with external cooperation. The officer will coordinate and supervise all the matters in this regard and incidental thereto, in addition to the existing charges,” an order of the state government, dated July 15, read.

“The general administration (political) department will assist Vasuki till alternate arrangements are made. The resident commissioner of the Kerala House in New Delhi has been instructed to assist her in liaising with the Ministry of external affairs (MEA) in New Delhi and the Indian embassies and missions abroad,” the order mentioned.

Speaking with the newspaper, ex-cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar was ‘doubtful’ about the appointment.

“International relations are within the Centre's domain. If any state department wants help from abroad, they can always approach the MEA or the Indian embassy. I think that the state will clarify what ‘additional’ work will be done by the officer beyond what department secretaries already do,” Chandrasekhar stated.

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