Centre slammed for denying diplomatic passport to Ker minister

The Centre's decision to deny diplomatic passport to a Kerala minister to visit Saudi Arabia to meet those languishing in labour camps has come in for criticism with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan saying it was "unfortunate".
Kerala Local self-government minister, K T Jaleel, had been deputed by the state government to visit Saudi Arabia for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation there.
Describing the Centre's decision as "unfortunate", Vijayan said the state government had wanted a minister to go to Saudi Arabia as the families of those who had lost their jobs were "extremely concerned".
To allay their concerns, the state had decided to send the minister to talk to those in the labour camps directly and hear their woes, he said.

"The Centre's stand denying permission to the state minister to travel to Saudi Arabia on a diplomatic passport is mysterious," he told reporters here.
However, the Chief Minister said the government does not consider that there was any political motive behind this move.

"We accept that the Centre is making all efforts to mitigate hardships of those who had lost their jobs," he said.
Meanwhile, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said denial of diplomatic passport to Jaleel was a "serious lapse" on part of the Central government.
Permitting state ministers to travel on a diplomatic passport is a "usual procedure" and the action by the Centre was "condemnable", he said in a statement here.

"We cannot accept the Centre's decision and the union government should rectify this lapse and permit the minister to travel to Saudi Arabia on a diplomatic passport," he said.
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Meanwhile, BJP's Kerala unit said the ruling Left
government's propaganda that Jaleel was denied diplomatic passport was a cheap one.
"The diplomatic passport is not one that can be obtained by request. It is a passport given to persons who go abroad to implement a mission assigned by the Centre," BJP state President Kummanom Rajasekharan said in a statement.
"The Centre has not entrusted any mission to Jaleel. The government has intervened in the matter and is doing everything possible to deal with the situation there. A state minister cannot interfere or resolve any ambassadorial issues," he added.