NEW DELHI: Kerala government’s decision to appoint a bureaucrat as Secretary for External Cooperation is beyond their constitutional jurisdiction, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.The Constitution of India under the 7th Schedule, List 1 – Union List, Item 10, clearly specifies that foreign affairs and all matters which bring the Union into relation with any foreign country are the sole prerogative of the Union Government. It is not a concurrent subject and definitely not a state subject. Our position is that state governments should not intrude in matters that are beyond their constitutional jurisdiction,” said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.It may be recalled that on July 15, the Kerala government issued an order giving K. Vasuki, Secretary in the Labour and Skills Department, the additional charge of matters connected with External Cooperation.BJP lawmaker P.P. Chaudhary had termed this move as unconstitutional.“The Kerala government’s action in issuing such an order and appointing an IAS officer as Foreign Secretary to handle external affairs is unconstitutional. It encroaches on subjects allocated to the Union government and the Union List,” Chaudhary had said.Meanwhile, Congress leader and MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor has attempted to downplay the entire episode.“It is appropriate for the state to manage issues involving their residents abroad. Foreign relations are controlled by the Union government and no state government has any independent foreign relations. However, it is appropriate for state governments to manage issues involving their residents abroad,” Tharoor said.
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