Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 14 (IANS): After coming under heavy attack from various quarters on the recent European tour of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Ministers who took their families along, State Education Minister V. Sivankutty on Friday slammed the critics.

Sivankutty was one of the members of the touring party who took his wife along.

"If the husband is a minister, does it mean his wife has to sit inside the house? I took my wife and not someone else's wife. There is nothing wrong in it and the expenses were met by self," said Sivankutty to the media, here.

Social media, Congress and the BJP in Kerala have been criticising the Chief Minister over taking a big entourage to Finland, Norway and the UK. They have been asking him about the outcome of his previous visits and the need for the latest visit when the state was passing through one of its worst ever financial crises.

While Sivankutty and his wife Parvathy have since returned, Vijayan took off to the UAE on a private visit, as his son and family work in Dubai.

"Our trip has just ended and do you expect to get results the next day of the visit? Rewards of the visit will take time and one has to wait for it," said Sivankutty, and added the Chief Minister will brief about the details of the visit.