Diaspora issues will be prime concern: Muraleedharan

V. Muraleedharan was made the State Minister with the External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs portfolios on Friday.

The only MP from Kerala to be inducted in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new government, Muraleedharan said thanked the Prime Minister for giving him two key portfolios and said he was looking forward to working with his two senior Cabinet colleagues.

"It's a huge responsibility... The issues concerning the diaspora such as the ever-increasing air fares. I will see how best they can be resolved. Kerala, my own state, has a huge population working abroad. I am confident that I will be able to help them," Muraleedharan told the media here after the allotment of portfolios. 

"I'm happy that I am going to work with Minister of External Affairs S.Jaisankar and Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi. The state governments would be taken into confidence, when dealing with issues," he added.

Earlier in the day, Muraleedharan said that the vexed Sabarimala temple issue would be taken care of. "The BJP has already made it very clear that it would take care of the Sabarimala issue. Therefore I need not say anything about it. Let's just wait for a while," he said.IANS