Centre Denied Permission to Kerala Minister to Attend UN Meet in China: Pinarayi Vijayan Seeks Review

Central Government denied permission to Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran, who was invited to attend the 22nd general assembly session of UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization) scheduled to be held from September 11- 16 in Chengdu, China.

Surendran wanted the nod from Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to attend the session which is required for such International events. The minister was denied permission for the same. Surendran’s office said that the minister had applied in advance for permission whereas MEA kept delaying the process and gave no reason for denying it.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj seeking to review MEA’s decision. In his letter, he urged for reconsideration of the decision and issue of political clearance for Surendran’s travel to China for the event. "The objective behind undertaking the visit was to learn from international experience about developing the tourism sector in Kerala. It is unfortunate that the state's delegation was denied opportunity to participate in an international forum," Vijayan wrote in the letter.

“Entire Kerala is shocked, We register a strong protest against this discriminatory & biased decision of the Ministry of External Affairs,” Vijayan said in a tweet on Friday.

Surendran was invited as a full time member by UNWTO. Except for him, no other minister from India is invited to this prestigious event.

Surendran said it was a great opportunity for the state to participate in such an event.

"The state has chalked out comprehensive projects in the sector and participation in such international conference is most vital for the successful implementation of these projects. I have already briefed the new Union tourism minister (Alphons Kannanthanam) on the state's initiatives in the sector," TOI quoted Surendran saying. He also said the denial by the central government is an insult to the Kerala government and alleged that it might be due to political reasons.

The theme for this year’s UNWTO event is Tourism and Sustainable Goals – Journey to 2030. Kerala state had earlier received awards from UNWTO for the state’s initiatives in “Responsible Tourism”. The event will be attended by delegates from more than 150 countries and representatives from UNWTO Affiliate Members representing public and private organizations, destinations, NGOs and educational institutions.