Chandy asked to stay away from PM’s event: Cong likely to raise issue in Parliament

New Delhi: The issue of reported "insult" to Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy, who was not invited to an upcoming event to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, could generate heat in the Parliament on Monday, with Congress expected to raise the matter.

A controversy had taken off over the alleged decision of Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), an organisation of backward Ezhava community, to exclude Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, from attending the unveiling of former CM R Sankar's statue by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 15.

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Party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi described the action as pettiness of the worst kind and wanted that Prime Minister should himself refuse to go to the function.

"It is pettiness of the worst kind. It is an insult of the Constitutional position of a Chief Minister. PM should respond ....and should even refuse to go himself (to the function) as the deceased former Chief Minister of Kerala and also the current one have been insulted by this petty act," Singhvi said.

When asked if the Congress could raise the matter in the Parliament, Singhvi said "we have all options open."

Chandy in a press note had earlier stated that he was "deeply saddened" for keeping away from the function following a request of Vellappally Natesan, general secretary of SNDP, the organiser of the event.

Chandy, had said that though he should have been present at the function being attended by the PM and also because Sankar was a former CM and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief, he was forced to take the decision to stay away, following the organisers request.