Kerala CM's foreign trip: Governor Khan 'thanks' media for information

Days after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan embarked on a three-week-long foreign tour, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Saturday expressed his displeasure over not being informed about the trip and "thanked" the media for letting him know about it.

When the media sought his reaction about the foreign trip of the CM and his family, Khan sarcastically thanked the media and said at least they had informed him about it.

"I am not aware...Thank you very much for informing me...At least you have informed me," the Governor told reporters in nearby Aluva.

Khan said he had earlier written to the President of India that the Raj Bhavan was "kept in the dark" about such foreign visits.

"Earlier I have written..not this time..honestly I am not aware about it," the Governor added.

The CM and his close family members left for various foreign destinations on May 6.

While the opposition Congress and BJP had accused the CM of keeping the details of the foreign trip a "secret" and sought to know who was the sponsor, the ruling CPI(M) strongly came in support of Vijayan and justified his family tour.

CPI(M) central committee member A K Balan had on Friday even likened Vijayan's foreign trip to God's rest after creating the universe in six days, drawing a parallel to the Biblical narrative.

Responding to controversies surrounding Vijayan and his family's foreign trip, Balan said the Chief Minister did not go to space; he simply took a break in Indonesia, which, according to the veteran leader, is only 60 km away from Pygmalion point (Indira point) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan on Wednesday said Vijayan embarked on his overseas trip at his own expense after getting requisite permissions from the party and the Central government.

Vijayan actually took a break after the intense Lok Sabha poll campaigning in Kerala and decided to travel abroad with his family, he had said.