V Muraleedharan | Photo: Sabu Scaria/ Mathrubhumi
Kochi: MoS V Muraleedharan criticised Kerala Government for allegedly issuing diplomatic IDs to a temporary staff at the UAE consulate without the permission of the Foreign Affairs Ministry. He also demanded Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to answer to the allegations levelled against him by Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the gold smuggling case.
"Diplomatic ID was issued to a temporary staff of UAE consul without the permission or prior approval of Foreign Affairs Ministry. With the help of this staff, a baggage-containing currency was brought to UAE. Who holds such a power in state government to issue such an ID?" he asked.
Muraleedharan claimed the move from the state government was 'anti-national'. He pointed out that Khalid, an Egyptian national and staff at UAE Consulate, was used to carry the baggage to avoid suspicion on state government figures. Further, any investigation of foreign nationals would not be easy due to legal hurdles, he added.
"The chief minister had clarified that he held a meeting with Consul General. However, no state government is allowed to hold dialogues with foreign consulates as per the foreign diplomatic handbook. If any consulate contacts state governments, then they should notify the foreign affairs ministry. The state failed to inform the ministry about these meetings," he said.
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