Lok Sabha: ‘Snub’ to Chandy at centre of latest disruption

In Thiruvananthapuram, Chandy said the decision to exclude him was a “painful experience” and an “insult” to people of the state. “PM is coming to the state for the first time after assuming office. R Sankar is a former chief minister and late Congress leader. As per protocol and basic courtesies Kerala chief minister should have been attending the function,” Chandy posted on Facebook. “I have always tried to keep myself away from controversies, but they have always followed me in an unexpected manner…”

Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy holds a letter in which the state government tells the PMO that Chandy will not attend the function but the Congress says “an officer in the PMO” had asked the state government to send it. (Source: Tashi Tobgyal)

PTI quoted Vellapally Natesan, who heads SNDP, as saying in Kollam that it was he who was responsible for excluding Chandy from the function and not the BJP leadership. “There has been no pressure from the BJP or anyone else to prevent the chief minister from attending,” Natesan reportedly said.

In the Lok Sabha, the Trinamool Congress, the Left parties, the NCP and the RJD walked out along with the Congress. Congress MPs had wanted to raise the matter but Speaker Sumitra Mahajan told them they could do so during zero hour.

Congress MPs stormed the well with banners, and the Speaker adjourned the proceedings after other Opposition MPs rose to join the protests. AAP MPs were also in the well, over a demolition drive in Delhi.

Printouts of the programme accessed from the organisers, with Chandy’s name on them. (Source: Tashi Tobgyal)

When the House reassembled, Congress leader K C Venugopal said, “It is an issue that has seriously affected the emotions of the people of Kerala and the country. It is a serious breach of political morality… Due to the unfair political move by the ruling party at the Centre, he (Chandy) was dropped.”

He said it was just two days before the function that the PMO informed the Chief Minister’s Office that he would not be part of the function he had been expected to preside over. “The PMO or the prime minister has a hand in this. Humiliating the chief minister is a humiliation for Kerala. A constitutional position is being used for political vendetta,” he said.

Outside, Rahul Gandhi said, “The prime minister of this country has insulted the people of Kerala… The chief minister of Kerala represents the people of Kerala.”

Venugopal said the programme schedule sent by the state protocol department had Chandy presiding over the event while the prime minister would unveil a statue of Sankar. But the PMO’s final programme list, sent on December 12, did not have Chandy’s name.

Rajnath Singh said, “They (SNDP) had invited the PM to unveil the statue of R Sankar. They had invited the CM… maybe some controversies have occurred there. which led to some internal row within it and the organisation then adopted a unanimous resolution saying the CM should not come. It depends on the organisation to invite or exclude whoever they want. The Centre does not want any confrontation with any state,” he said.

Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy read out from a letter sent by the protocol department saying the chief minister would not attend the function. Congress leaders said it was a routine letter and alleged it was written after an official from the PMO had “repeatedly” phoned protocol officers to do so.