The Kerala government’s recent appointment of a senior IAS officer as ‘foreign secretary’ has stirred controversy across the board. K Vasuki, currently serving as Secretary (Labour and Skills), has been assigned the role of Secretary In-Charge of “Matters Concerning External Cooperation,” according to The Times of India.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) led Left Democratic Front (LDF) is the current ruling political alliance in Kerala, which has been in power since 2016.
Since the country’s external relations are vested with the Union government the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticized this move as a clear overreach by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s administration.
Role as Kerala’s ‘foreign secretary’
In her new capacity, Vasuki will oversee “matters connected with external cooperation,” as outlined in a government directive issued on July 15.
Vasuki will coordinate and supervise all the matters connected with external cooperation and will be assisted by the General Administration (Political) department of the state government until alternate arrangements are made, according to The Times of India.
As per the government order issued on July 15, and cited by the ToI, Vasuki will be assisted by the resident commissioner of Kerala House in New Delhi in matters of external cooperation and to liaise with Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) or Indian diplomatic missions abroad.
BJP questions appointment
BJP Kerala state president K Surendran termed the move a “blatant overreach” and a violation of the Union List of the Constitution. In a social media post on X, Surendran asked whether the chief minister wants to establish Kerala as a “separate nation.”
He also said that the move “sets a dangerous precedent.”
‘Fairly unusual’
Senior Congress leader and former diplomat Shashi Tharoor, who is an MP from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, termed the Kerala government’s move to appoint a “foreign secretary” as “fairly unusual” but noted that the bureaucrat has no foreign relationship responsibility of her own. Speaking on the controversy, Shashi Tharoor said it is entirely appropriate for state governments to work without Embassies abroad for matters involving their residents.
“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 without Embassies abroad for matter involving their residents,” he told PTI.
“Now to give 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 government’s bodies,” Tharoor added.
Kerala chief secretary clarifies
Kerala Chief Secretary, Dr V Venu, has clarified that the appointment was part of an effort to establish new relations for the development of the state, the Economic Times reported.
The official said that there were more important issues the public could discuss and that they should not waste time with “fake news” like this.
Taking to his social media handle, the Kerala Chief Secretary said, “No, those sitting in government are not ignorant of the basic fact that foreign affairs are the subject of the central government.”
“Many foreign agencies, multilateral agencies, institutions working in embassies of foreign countries, and delegations are in regular contact with the Kerala state government as well as other state governments,” he further said.
Adding to his explanation, he said, “Through these transactions, cooperative relations are established in commercial, industrial, and cultural fields. When the Chief Minister or Ministers of the state go abroad, many representatives visit Kerala as a result of the discussions held there and seek new contacts.”
The Kerala Chief Secretary said the move was not meant to engage in diplomatic relations, which was under the central government’s jurisdiction.
“In earlier years, these were seen as the responsibility of separate departments. As the number of discussions like this increased, it was evident that much better coordination was needed. A division called external cooperation is a system created some time ago for that purpose,” he said.
“The government did these things not to engage in diplomatic relations with foreign countries and to interfere in matters falling under the jurisdiction of the central government but as part of an effort to establish new relations for the development of the state,” he further stated.