Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera on Saturday had raised objections over the presence of Sri Lanka’s Deputy Consul General for South India, Ganesanathan Ketheeswaran, at an event in Vaithikuppam, Puducherry, and questioned whether it amounted to a violation of diplomatic norms.
According to Khera, NDA partner Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK) chief Jose Charles Martin had invited Ketheeswaran to meet local fishermen and hear their grievances, with BJP Puducherry president VP Ramalingam also present at the event.
“The Deputy Consul General of Sri Lanka for South India, Mr. Ganesanathan Ketheeswaran, was invited by Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK) chief Jose Charles Martin to meet fishermen in the Vaithikuppam area of Puducherry and hear their grievances. The BJP's Puducherry President and their Raj Bhavan constituency candidate, VP Ramalingam was also present at the event,” the post said.
Khera termed the event a violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which restricts foreign diplomats from interfering in the internal affairs of the host country, adding that both India and Sri Lanka are signatories to the convention.
“This is a gross violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which states that foreign diplomats' have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of that State.”
He also questioned whether action would be taken by authorities, asking, “Will the sleeping beauty of the ECI - Gyanesh Kumar Gupta - issue a notice to LJK and the BJP for hosting a diplomat at a political event? 2. Will S Jaishankar issue a demarche to the diplomat? 3. Or will both remain silent because Martin and his party have been hired by the BJP to do its dirty work?”
Responding to Khera’s post on X, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar are unlikely to respond to the concerns raised by the party.
“The answers to your three questions are self-evident: 1. He will not, 2. He will not, 3. Yes, both will remain silent.”
Reacting to Khera's tweet Jose Charles Martin on Saturday had said, "We have not invited him (Ganesanathan Ketheeswaran) to Puducherry or to meet anybody. He had an official trip where he had plans to visit Puducherry and Cuddalore, and he had his own plans in which he came to the constituency of the BJP party president, Ramalingam. we are also there campaigning and showing support to him... this is not a political event..."
(With inputs from ANI)