Kerala chief secretary calls appointment of foreign secretary as effort to develop state

The Kerala Chief Secretary clarified that appointing IAS officer K Vasuki as 'state's secretary in charge of external cooperation' was to establish new relations for state development, not diplomatic relations. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor supported the appointment, emphasising the officer's role as a focal point of responsibility within the government. BJP State President K Surendran criticised the move as an overreach and a violation of the Constitution, questioning if it aimed to establish Kerala as a separate nation.