Vijayan writes to Modi after Kerala minister denied Kuwait visit
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing his disapproval over the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) denying political clearance for a state minister to visit Kuwait. The proposed visit was in response to the apartment fire in Kuwait last week that claimed 49 lives, including 46 Indians, 23 of whom were from Kerala. In a letter to PM Modi, Vijayan stated that this denial was "against the principles of cooperative federalism."
Why does this story matter?
Following the fire tragedy on June 12, the Kerala state cabinet decided to send Health Minister Veena George to Kuwait to coordinate relief efforts. However, despite seeking political clearance from the MEA for her travel, George did not receive the necessary approval and had to cancel her plans. Instead, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh left for Kuwait on June 12, forcing George to cancel her plans at the last minute at Cochin International Airport.
Kerala CM urges PM for more responsive MEA
In his letter, Vijayan emphasized that such requests fall within "compelling circumstances" and their non-consideration contradicts cooperative federalism principles. He wrote, "As your good self would appreciate, no political or other consideration should come in the way of issuing political clearance in such situations.'' The chief minister also urged PM Modi to advise the MEA to be more responsive to similar requests in future.
Bodies of Indian victims returned home
On June 14, the bodies of the 46 Indian victims were returned to India. They landed at Cochin International Airport in Kerala before being transported to their respective homes. An investigation by Kuwait's interior ministry found that the apartment complex, which housed nearly 200 people, failed the basic safety criteria required for a large number of people to reside. The victims were reportedly employees of the NBTC Group, whose managing director K.G Abraham is a non-resident Keralite (NRK) businessman.
