Government has no role in Oommen Chandy’s exclusion from Kollam event: Rajnath Singh

Rajnath Singh said that the controversy over the Kollam event is "needless and based on presumptions and assumption".

Oommen Chandy, Oommen Chandy invitation, narendra modi, modi in kerala, Oommen Chandy Rajnath Singh, Oommen Chandy kollam function, Oommen Chandy Sankar statue, Kerala news, India news

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at the Indian Express Idea Exchange in New Delhi. (Express photo by Ravi Kanojia/ file photo)

Reacting to the controversy surrounding the unveiling of former Congress chief minister R Sankar’s statue in Kerala, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that the government has no role in Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana’s (SDNP) decision to exclude Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy from the event to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The SNDP must have invited the Kerala CM also for the function but later changed its mind and decided against it. Govt had no role in this,” Rajnath wrote on Twitter.

He said the controversy over the event is “needless and based on presumptions and assumption”.

The Union Home Minister clarified that the SNDP is a social organisation and extending invitations to individuals or dignitaries is its own decision and discretion.

The NDA government does not believe in confrontation with any state government. We always work to strengthen cooperative federalism, Rajnath said.

Earlier, CM Chandy wrote on Twitter that people of Kerala have been insulted as the state’s chief minister has been denied from participating in an event that will be attended by the prime minister.

SNDP leader Vellapally Natesan today took responsibility for the decision to not invite CM Chandy.

Story continues below this ad

“There has been no pressure from the BJP or anyone else to prevent the Chief Minister from attending the function”, Natesan said at Kollam.