Manohar Parikkar hits out at Kerala CM on Italian Marines issue

CHENNAI: Hitting out at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for blaming Centre on the Italian marines issue, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said the CPI(M) veteran "should have been more rational" as there was no point to score immediately.

Parrikar said Vijayan should have raised the matter with the Union Home Ministry or Ministry of External Affairs who deal with the matter.

"He (Vijayan) should have been more rational because the elections are just over. There is nothing to immediately score a point," the Defence Minister told reporters here.

Yesterday, Vijayan had blamed Centre's "wrong response" for the Supreme Court's decision to relax Italian marine Salvatore Girone's bail conditions and permitting him to leave for his country.

A "big foul play" had been done by the Centre right from the beginning in the case, he had said.

"It is here (in Kerala) that the examination and trial has to be held. But a big foul play has been done in this case right from the beginning by the Centre. We were against the Centre's approach before also and we had strongly criticised it," Vijayan had said.