A political controversy has erupted after allegations that Kerala's Health Minister Veena George was denied permission by the Centre to travel to Kuwait on Thursday as the official state representative, amidst the backdrop of a tragic fire incident in the West Asian country that resulted in 49 fatalities, including 23 from the southern state.

On Friday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the state's opposition Congress criticised the Centre's decision, while Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and Union Minister Suresh Gopi supported the move.

George and Jeevan Babu, the state mission director of the National Health Mission, were authorised by the Kerala government on Thursday morning to travel to Kuwait. Their purpose was to oversee the medical treatment for injured individuals from Kerala and facilitate the repatriation of mortal remains to India.

Given that the trip required political clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Kerala government forwarded a request to the Centre. The state Chief Secretary and the Resident Commissioner of Kerala in Delhi were also involved in expediting the bureaucratic procedures, as explained by George to reporters.

“We were hopeful of getting the clearance at the last minute and even travelled to the airport in Kochi...but the MEA did not give the political clearance for the travel. The death of each person from India in Kuwait is saddening. But Kerala has lost the most numbers of people in this tragedy,” she said.

“A lot of people injured in the fire are undergoing treatment in hospitals. Their families are not with them. In the face of this tragedy, these deaths and the grief, the stance of the Centre towards Kerala was wrong and highly unfortunate,” George alleged.

At least 49 people tragically lost their lives in a fire at the Al-Mangaf building in Kuwait on June 12. Among the deceased, 45 were Indians, with 23 of them hailing from Kerala.

Vijayan, who paid his respects to the deceased after their bodies were flown to Kochi by an IAF aircraft from Kuwait, described the Centre's decision as "wrong." However, he refrained from raising it as a serious issue during the time of mourning. He stated to reporters at the Kochi airport, "I don’t intend to raise it now as a serious issue, maybe, we can discuss it later. Right now, the state and central governments must work together and coordinate efforts to assist the families affected by this tragedy."

The opposition Congress in the southern state termed the Centre’s decision “most unfortunate”.

“When such tragedies occur in foreign countries, it’s important that representatives of state and central governments are present there. The Centre’s representative went early, but if the state representative was also there, she [George] could have coordinated efforts with the local Malayali expatriate outfits there. The Centre’s decision sends a wrong message,” VD Satheesan, leader of the opposition in Kerala assembly, said.

Governor Arif Mohammad Khan said the central government had taken all required steps and completed all procedures for the repatriation of the bodies. There wasn’t much that the minister had to do in Kuwait.

“I am not aware of the legalities of this matter. In any case, the minister would have to return today. Already the central ministers were in Kuwait. Even if you are allowed to travel, what will you achieve by spending a few hours in Kuwait? These things should not be pursued unnecessarily,” he said.

“We need to do some long-term thinking about why people are forced to leave their homes in search of work. They have no option but to go outside seeking jobs because locally there are no opportunities available,” the governor said.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker and Union Minister of State for Tourism and Petroleum, Suresh Gopi, stated that there was "no controversy" surrounding the matter.

“There is no need to see politics in it. Every person has a position and responsibilities. The MEA is in charge of matters like these and decisions have been taken within the ambit of cooperative federalism. S Jaishankar and his team have done a good job. An MoS was deputed to go to Kuwait and everything has been handled well,” Gopi added.

Image source: Reuters