Governor says no use in sending Veena George to Kuwait, shouldn’t have done this Kerala, says health minister

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Governor Arif Muhammad Khan came to the fore reacting to the cancellation of Health Minister Veena George’s visit to Kuwait after permission was denied by the Centre. What is the use in sending the minister for a day. There is no point in the minister going to Kuwait to spend a few hours. The Union Minister has gone to Kuwait and made all the arrangements. The central government had intervened to bring all the bodies home. The Governor also said that he does not know the legal side of the Centre's denial of permission to Veena George.

Minister Veena George also came forward criticizing the central government's act of denying her permission at the last minute. This should not have done to Kerala. Veena George said the application was submitted along with the flight ticket. She reached Nedumbassery to board the 9.40 flight last night, but as the central government denied permission, she was not able to go and returned to the guest house at night.

More than half of the dead are Malayalees. The people injured are also Malayalees. The state government decided to send a representative to be with them and make necessary arrangements. We will have the advantages of having a representative of the state government in Kuwait. Veena George said we can help the people with their small and big needs.

Former minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan said there is no practice of ministers from state going abroad when tragedies occur there. The Union Minister of State for External Affairs was in Kuwait. If a minister from Kerala leaves, ministers from other states will follow the same. Ministers from other states have not gone now. The Center did not give political clearance to the minister in order to remove this unnecessary practice.

Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi responded that what we should do now is stand with the victims’ families. He told the media that the government of Kuwait is taking care of the affairs of those undergoing treatment in Kuwait and that there is currently a limitation in intervening in it. Suresh Gopi said the Kuwait government has to assert the reasons that led to the tragedy. He said the Kuwait government will find out the cause of the accident and inform us.