Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and two of his Cabinet colleagues skipped Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s event in Kochi on Wednesday due to reports that state Public Works Minister Mohammad Riyas was not included among the invitees.
Among the slew of development projects for the state, the Prime Minister was scheduled to launch two important stretches of the Expanded National Highway-66 in Kasaragod and Kozhikode districts, a project in which the state government has invested and in which the state PWD Minister has played an important role.
In a reported protest against the exclusion, Riyas and Udma MLA CH Kunhambu held an inauguration ceremony and parallel road presentations for the national highway projects at Ramanattukara and Thalappadi respectively. LDF workers chanted slogans against the Union government.
“In the past, whenever projects related to New Hampshire were launched or inaugurated, the state PWD minister was also invited. I also attended. Excluding the PWD minister is an insult to the state. This is not good for the democratic system,” Reyes said.
He also criticized the inclusion of state BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar in the official government function. “If the state BJP president is invited, shouldn’t leaders of other parties like CPI(M), CPI and Congress also be invited? Should the state BJP president be invited instead of the state PWD minister?”, he asked.
At the same time, Opposition leader V D Sathisan joined forces in targeting the BJP. He said the state PWD minister should have been invited. “This is not a personal event of the BJP. This is a government event. When road-related projects are inaugurated, the PWD minister should be invited,” he said.
However, he also criticized the LDF and Union government for inaugurating unfinished expansion works in New Hampshire. “Only a few portions of NH-66 have been completed while a major portion of it is still under construction. Shouldn’t the expressway be opened when it is completely completed?” he asked.
Although the Chief Minister’s Office did not issue a statement on why Vijayan boycotted the event, people familiar with the matter said that Riyas not being invited to the event was the reason. Despite the invitation of Energy Minister K. Krishnankutty and Local Self Government Minister M. with me. Rajesh, but they neglected to mention other official engagements.
LSG Minister Rajesh said the people of the state will give a befitting response to the BJP for the “insult” in the upcoming elections. “I was invited to the event very late and the PWD minister was excluded. It shows the politics of the BJP,” he said.
However, BJP leaders said there was no violation of protocols. “The Prime Minister is the head of state and he has been invited. Should his son-in-law also be invited? The Prime Minister had plenty of time to decide who should accompany him to the event,” Chandrasekhar quipped.
