Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has decided to truncate his private trip and is expected to arrive back in the state on May 20. On Wednesday morning, Vijayan arrived in Dubai, UAE. Initially slated to return to India on May 22, his plans have now been cut short. Earlier, on May 6, he embarked on a three-nation tour to Indonesia, Singapore, and UAE.
On Wednesday, Vijayan while chairing the weekly cabinet meeting online from Dubai informed the Ministers that he would return to Kerala on May 20.
The Singapore leg of his private trip was abruptly shortened, and he flew into Dubai in the early hours of Wednesday. The visit surprised many, as there was no official announcement prior to his departure from Kochi, leaving the state unaware of his whereabouts.
The trip sparked controversy when Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan acknowledged the media for informing him that CM Vijayan was on a private visit to three countries, admitting he had no prior knowledge of it.
Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said: “Has he (CM Vijayan) gone on a foreign visit, I am not aware. Thanks to you (media) for informing me that the CM is on a foreign trip. In the past I had informed the President that the CM doesn’t inform me when he leaves.”
The Congress state president K Sudhakaran asked why Vijayan was running away from the state and who was financing the foreign trip. He also questioned if it was government money or sponsorship.
The BJP state president K Surendran said that the people of Kerala have the right to know who was financing the tour of CM. Union minister V Muraleedharan of BJP said that the trip exposed CPI(M)'s hypocrisy.
The CM's office also informed that there would be no official statement to the media regarding Vijayan's trip.
Vijayan's trip came after the state voted for Lok Sabha elections on April 26.
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