The Central government’s decision not to grant diplomatic passport to Minister for Local Self-Governments K.T. Jaleel has assumed the dimensions of a political controversy with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and leaders of both the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) mounting a scathing attack on the Centre over the issue.
Terming the Union government’s decision ‘mysterious,’ the Chief Minister told reporters here on Friday that the government had decided to send Mr. Jaleel to Saudi Arabia responding to widespread anxiety about the fate of Malayalis working in Saudi Arabia. “We find it difficult to understand why the Centre decided not to allow the State Minister to go [to Saudi Arabia] after the Union Minister had gone there,” he said.
Later, in a Facebook post, Mr. Vijayan said the State government’s information was that the Saudi authorities were doing everything necessary. Visit by a Minister from the State would have helped allay fears of families of those who have been stranded in Saudi Arabia without wages and proper documents. The decision to send the Minister was taken taking all these into account, the Chief Minister said.
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala described the Central government’s decision a ‘serious failing’ and pointed out that Ministers in the last UDF Cabinet, including himself, had received diplomatic passports under similar situations.
The Centre’s decision not to allow a Minister from the State to go to Saudi Arabia was most deplorable and unacceptable. The Central government should correct its mistake and issue diplomatic passport to Mr. Jaleel, he said.
The CPI(M) State committee, which met here on Friday, took strong exception to the Central government’s stand. The Minister would have been able to visit the labour camps where Malayali workers were experiencing serious hardships if only he could go there with diplomatic passport. With its decision, the Union government had denied the State the opportunity to provide legal and other assistance to the affected workers, the resolution pointed out.
