Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and two state ministers are likely to boycott Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s event in Kochi on Wednesday where he will inaugurate a slew of projects for the state.
The main reason behind the Prime Minister skipping the event is due to the non-inclusion of Public Works Minister (PWD) PA Muhammad Riyas from the event where the Prime Minister is scheduled to inaugurate two important sections of the National Highway (NH) expansion, for which the state government has also allocated funds.
The Prime Minister’s Office did not issue an official statement in this regard.
Reyes told reporters Wednesday that it is “not good for democracy” for people with disabilities in the state to be excluded from the event that opens New Hampshire businesses.
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“The PWD Minister has been left out, while the BJP state president has been invited. Our government is elected by the people. If you look at the history of opening of New Hampshire projects in the state, you will find that the PWD Minister is always invited. Our government has invested $5,600 crore in ongoing expansion projects in New Hampshire across the state. He said that this is not in the interest of democracy.
Both Local Self Government Minister MP Rajesh and Energy Minister Krishnankutty said they would miss the event due to their other engagements.
Rajesh also alleged that the SPG asked him to show his Aadhaar card despite having a security clearance for a previous PMO event in the state.
“In January, when the Prime Minister came here, I was among the invitees and got a special pass. But despite the pass, SPG asked me to show my Aadhaar card. I told them I would not show it and left. So I don’t have time for such programs,” he told reporters.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to spend around four hours in Kerala on Wednesday during which he will attend the golden jubilee celebrations of the Dheevara Sabha, launch major development projects and address the NDA gathering before leaving for Tamil Nadu.
