Senior Congress leader and former diploওmat Shashi Tharoor has weighed in on the Kerala government's decision to appoint a foreign secretary in the state, calling it "fairly unusual" but noted that the bureaucrat has no foreign relationship respons🦩ibility of her own.
The Kerala government issued an o⛄rder on July 15 giving senior IAS officer K Vasuki an additional charge of "matters concerning external cooperation".
"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.
BJP state president K Surꦆendran termed the move a "blatant overreach" and a violation of the Union List of the Constituꦗtion.
He wrote on X: “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. This unconstitutional move sets a dangerous precedent. Is CM ༒trying to establish Keralam as a separate nation?”
Speaking on the controversy, Shashi🌠 Tharoor said it is entirely appropriate for state governments to work without Embassies abroad for matters involving their resi🐬dents.
“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 with our Embassies abroad for matters involving their residents," he told news agency PTI.
“Now to g💧ive 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 governm⭕ent's bodies,” Tharoor added.
