Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday took a jibe at External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's current visit to the state, to which the External Affairs Minister said, "People should not feel so insecure." Vijayan indirectly said that this tour is being done keeping in mind the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Jaishankar said that he visited the southern state to get a better understanding of the situation on the ground. He hit back at the Chief Minister and said that if he thinks this is politics then our political motivation is completely different from him.
In his address at an event in Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayan particularly referred to the recent incident of the External Affairs Minister inspecting the under-construction Kazhakootam flyover on National Highway-66. He said that, "real intention behind the trip is well understood." Vijayan said, “When it is said that a minister, who has been assigned the task of looking after global affairs, has gone to Kazhakootam to inspect the flyover, the people of the state can understand the real intention behind it. We must understand that this visit was not just to take stock of the flyover."
The Chief Minister smiled and said that after 10 to 18 months elections would be held across the country and it has been heard that the responsibility for the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate in this Lok Sabha seat has been entrusted to Jaishankar. Asked about the chief minister's statement, Jaishankar said, "People should not feel themselves so insecure."
Jaishankar arrived on a three-day visit to Kerala on Sunday. Responding to a question from reporters, he had said there were "many reasons" for his visit to Kerala. The External Affairs Minister had said that he wanted to spend some time with his party colleagues in Kerala and understand how they were doing and what was happening here.
