CM takes dig at Jaishankar's Kerala tour

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday took a dig at External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's ongoing tour of the state, hinting that the visit was with an eye on the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

While speaking at a local program here, Vijayan specially mentioned the External Affairs Minister's recent inspection of the Kazhakuttom flyover on the National Highway-66 here, which is under construction, and said the ''chethovikaram'' (can be loosely translated as 'true intention'') behind the visit was understandable.

''When it is said that a minister who is entrusted to have a look at the world affairs went to inspect the flyover at Kazhakuttom, the people of the state can understand the real intention behind it. We should realize that it was not just to have a look at the flyover,'' Vijayan said.

After 10-18 months, the election would be held across the country and it was heard that the responsibility to ensure the victory of the BJP candidate in this Lok Sabha seat was entrusted to Jaishankar, the CM said with a smile.

Jaishankar, who is on a three-day visit to the southern state since Sunday, had said that the reason for his visit to Kerala was ''several'' when the reporters asked.

He said he wanted to spend time with his party colleagues here and understand how they are doing and what is happening here.