'Won't challenge Centre's authority': Shashi Tharoor on appointment of 'external cooperation' secretary by Kerala

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has backed the Kerala government for its appointment of an IAS officer for 'matters concerning external cooperation'. He said he would see this as a purely routine focal point appointment rather than an appointment of a new position in any way that would challenge the authority of the union government. 

The Pinarayi Vijayan government has given IAS officer K Vasuki, the Secretary of Labour and Skills Department, the additional charge of "the matters connected with the External Cooperation". The BJP opposed the move, saying it was "unconstitutional" and a "flagrant violation of the federal principles".

The Kerala government has said that there was nothing unusual and they always had somebody as a focal point for foreign matters. "It is true that because of the very large Kerala diaspora, a number of issues affecting the welfare of Kerala in foreign countries come to the attention of the people's representatives," Tharoor, an MP from Thiruvananthapuram, said.  

"I am an MP. There is not a single week in the last 15 years, that I have not had some issue involving our constituents stuck or in problems in foreign countries. So the need to contact our embassies and to work with embassies to find solutions is very high," he argued but said that doesn't mean that the state government can even think of substituting itself for the authority of the Center. 

"Foreign affairs in the Constitution is the responsibility only of the central government and all external relationships are mediated through the Union government. So I would see the appointment of this young officer as a focal point kind of responsibility within the government," he said. 

"Each of the MPs reaching out embassy would continue and the embassy will do the work and let us know. But let us say, if there is an issue involving a state as a whole, instead of multiple departments chasing after an embassy or foreign ministry, it may be useful to have one focal point in the government that can be a relay point for communicating information. I don't particularly see this as a problem," the former union minister said. 

"I would this as a purely routine focal point appointment rather than appointment of a new position in any way which will challenge the authority of the union government. The Union Government remains the only body in the country empowered constitutionally to conduct international relations. And I don't think that will change," the Congress MP added.    

The BJP in Kerala slammed the LDF government for giving an IAS officer additional charge of matters connected with 'External Cooperation', saying that the Chief Minister should not consider the state as an independent country. BJP state president K Surendran said that appointing IAS officer K Vasuki as a "foreign secretary of the state" was "unconstitutional". 

The July 15 order further said that the General Administration (Political) Department would deal with the subjects related to external cooperation and would assist Vasuki till alternate arrangements are made. "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. 

Surendran made a scathing attack on Vijayan saying that if things go forward like this, "the CM will feel that he needs his own consulate and foreign minister". He said that External Affairs falls in the domain of the Centre and the state government's move to intervene in it sends a bad signal to the country.