Ministers don’t have to attend Abu Dhabi investment conference as it doesn’t make much sense; Center refuses to allow CM visit – Kerala – Politics

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has canceled his UAE visit which included attending an investment conference in Abu Dhabi. The chief minister ditched the trip after the center refused permission, saying the investment conference was unimportant and did not require the chief minister’s participation.

The center was annoyed by the UAE’s direct invitations to states including Kerala. The Chief Minister is aiming to attend the Abu Dhabi Investment Conference from 8 to 10 this month and a number of other events. A letter has been submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs including a direct invitation from the UAE Minister of State for Commerce to the Chief Minister. Jaishankar, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, personally verified these submissions from the Chief Minister’s Office and believed that the incident did not have the significance of the Chief Minister’s involvement.

Apart from the Chief Minister, Disabled Persons Minister Phammedrias, Industry Minister Rajiv and Chief Secretary were also directly invited to speak at the meeting. The state government attempted to bring the matter to the attention of the Prime Minister’s Office after the center refused permission. But the Prime Minister’s Office did not intervene in the matter. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed that it has no objection to officials attending the meeting. The UAE has invited Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.