Kerala ‘foreign secretary’ triggers controversy
BJP lawmaker P P Chaudhary said the Kerala government’s recent appointment of an IAS officer as “foreign secretary” was “unconstitutional”.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker P P Chaudhary on Monday said the Kerala government’s recent appointment of an IAS officer as “foreign secretary” was “unconstitutional” and an “encroachment” on the responsibilities of the Centre.
Raising the matter in the Lok Sabha, Chaudhary, an MP from Rajasthan, said the move was a “blatant outreach”, and sought to know if the Kerala government was treating itself as a “separate nation”.
On July 15, the Kerala government issued an order giving K Vasuki, secretary in the labour and skills department, the additional charge of “matters connected with External Cooperation”.
Chaudhary said external cooperation meant dealing with various nations, Indian embassies and missions abroad, functions that are primarily part of the Union List as per the allocation of business rules.
“The Kerala government’s action in issuing such an order and appointing an IAS officer as foreign secretary to handle external affairs is unconstitutional. It encroaches on subjects allocated to the Union government and the Union List,” he said in the Lower House.
“Is the Kerala government treating itself as a separate nation,” he added.
As per the allocation of business rules, such roles can only be performed by the Centre through the ministry of external affairs, the MP from Pali said. “These subjects are mandated for the Government of India and must be handled by the ministry of external affairs, not the Kerala government,” he said.
On Saturday, senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor defended the Kerala government’s actions and said it is “appropriate” for the state to “manage issues involving their residents abroad”. “Foreign relations are controlled by the Union government, and no state government has any independent foreign relations. However, it is appropriate for state governments to manage issues involving their residents abroad,” he told PTI.