R. Ramanan says Anwar Ibrahim’s planned Tamil Nadu visit was dropped due to a packed schedule, rejecting speculation that political factors were involved.
NEW DELHI: A scheduling clash, not politics, was behind the decision to drop a planned Tamil Nadu engagement from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s India visit, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan has said, urging parties to stop politicising the matter.
Ramanan said Anwar’s itinerary was already packed with bilateral meetings, business engagements and the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit, leaving no room for the Tamil Nadu leg.
The speculation followed reports of a possible meeting between Anwar and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, who left for an official delegation to Europe on Sept 10 and is not due back until Sept 17.
Anwar will now travel directly from New Delhi to Kerala on Sept 13, then to the Maldives on Sept 15, before returning to Malaysia ahead of Malaysia Day.
“This is from certain irresponsible parties… I want to put it on record and clear this matter, so that this fake news mongering is put to rest,” Ramanan told Malaysian media on the sidelines of the summit.
Ramanan said both the Chief Minister’s Office and the Prime Minister’s Office had tried to align schedules for a Tamil Nadu engagement but could not, given the number of other events.
There is no confirmed date for a future meeting, though the Iranian and Ethiopian premiers are expected to visit Malaysia, offering further opportunities for follow-up.
“They should put the country first; politics comes second,” Ramanan said, stressing that parties should not read political motives into what was simply a scheduling matter.
