Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan comes out against Jaishankar's visit

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that Union External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar camping in state capital Thiruvananthapuram is with certain objectives including the next Lok Sabha polls.

Pinarayi was speaking at a public programme here on Tuesday. He said that the Minister visiting the National Highway project at Kazhakootam is with a specific intent.

In a sarcastic vein, the Kerala CM said that "Jaishankar is the country's External Affairs Minister whose hands are full with work but is spending three days in the state capital. It is with intentions that can be easily understood."

Jaishankar is on a three-day visit to Thiruvananthapuram and met the beneficiaries of the Central government projects. He also visited the NHAI road construction at Kazhakootam and inspected the work being carried out.

The state BJP is concentrating on winning six Lok Sabha seats and Thiruvananthapuram is an A-plus constituency for the party. Jaishankar's three-day stay there is attributed by the Left parties as part of the spadework in the constituency to prepare for the 2024 general elections.