Thiruvananthapuram, July 12 (BPNS)
Union External Affairs minister, S. Jaishankar who is on a three-day visit to Kerala has said that the situations in Sri Lanka were sensitive and complicated. He said, “ Support of India is for the people of Sri Lanka as they are our neighbours and we want to help them go through a very difficult phase in their lives.
The Union Minister was addressing a ‘ Meet the Press” programme organized by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists here on Tuesday.
Coming down heavily against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Jaishankar said that the ministers of the Narendra Modi cabinet were working as a team and that he inspecting the Kazhakootam flyover was not unusual. He was responding to the jibe of the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan earlier in the day that the busy external affairs minister was in the state and inspecting the NH roads.
S. Jaishankar said that regarding Covid, railways, and education the Narendra Modi cabinet was working as a team and making decisions jointly. He said,” We call this development while some others call it politics. Those who think on development lines and above politics understand this.”
He said that most of the time during his visit was spent evaluating the central government projects and assistance. The Union minister said that if evaluating the number of electricity connections at homes under central assistance and projects in colonies can be termed as politics then it was the attitude of those who take it in that way.
S. Jaishankar said that the central agencies that were probing the gold smuggling case will definitely bring out the truth in the matter. He said that the matter was subjudice and that he was not further commenting on it but added that the truth would come out in the issue.
When asked about the Kerala Opposition leader’s demand for a CBI investigation into the gold smuggling case, Jaishankar said that the case not a political issue as discussed in Kerala but a diplomatic issue between two nations, and proper action would be taken at the right time.
