Prime Minister arrives in Kochi on a two-day visit to Kerala

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kochi on a two-day visit to Kerala today amid protests over exclusion of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy from his function in Kollam.

Governor P. Sathasivam, Oommen Chandy and other dignitaries received him at the naval airport. From the airport, the Prime Minister went to Thrissur where he is to address a public meeting organised by the BJP.

Youth Congress workers demonstrated outside the airport in protest against Mr. Chandy being dropped from the function at which the Prime Minister is to unveil the statue of former Chief Minister and former KPCC president R. Sankar. Protests were also organised in Kollam.

The issue was raised both in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha by Members from Kerala. Member of Parliament from Kerala also protested before Parliament. The Home Minister Rajnath Singh refuted that the Prime Minister’s Office was involved in the revocation of the invitation to Chief Minister. The function was one organised by the SNDP Yogam and it was that organisation which decided who all should attend the function.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi said that the Prime Minister of the country had insulted the people of Kerala by excluding the State’s Chief Minister from his function. The Chief Minister was the voice of the people of Kerala.

Mr. Chandy maintained that Kerala had been dishonoured. Noting that R. Sankar was a Congressman till his death, Mr. Chandy said in a facebook post protocol had been breached excluding him from the function.

It may be recalled that Chief Minister had earlier protested that Kerala had been ridiculed though an article in Organiser, the mouthpiece of BJP.

Meanwhile, SNDP Yogam General Secretary, who had earlier declined to disclose what was behind the decision to drop Mr. Chandy from the function, said today that he was responsible, and not the BJP, for revoking the invitation to Mr. Chandy.