New Delhi: For the first time in the history, the Kerala government has appointed a former Member of Parliament as special representative at the Kerala House, Delhi at the rank of a cabinet minister. Though this has been in practice in some other southern states like Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and apparently similar appointments were made by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments as well but they were exception there only.

The Kerala government recently appointed Dr A Sampath, a former three-time Member of Parliament from Kerala, as special representative at Kerala House, Delhi at the rank of a cabinet minister. Dr Sampath took over the charge at Kerala House on August 12, 2019. The objective of this appointment is to pursue the long pending issues between the central government and state government at the higher level.

One may call it a move of empowering the state government in New Delhi and a few others may look at it as a move that may eventually chip away at the office of the resident commissioner. But what appears to be appropriate may be defined as the move of rehabilitation and empowerment of an MP with a cabinet rank who may well nurture the political interests of the state government.

Dr Sampath is doctorate in Law and has been a practicing lawyer. He was also Member of Parliamentary Committee of Home Affairs, Committee of Privileges, Committee of Ministry of Shipping, Member of National Shipping Board earlier.