Thiruvananthapuram: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s refusal to meet an all-party delegation from Kerala on the co-operative sector issue evoked sharp responses from senior Congress leaders who condemned him for ‘insulting’ the people of the state. Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala even went to the extent of saying Mr Modi was trying to be the biggest dictator in history.
Working committee leader A.K. Antony and KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran also did not mince words in attacking the prime minister soon after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan conveyed to mediapersons his strong protest against Mr Modi's stand.
Mr Antony said in Delhi that the PM's stand was unwarranted and an insult to Keralites.
Mr Chennithala said his action was unbecoming of the prime minister and added he would write to him on the struggle of cooperative societies after demonetisation. "Modi is a globetrotter but has no time to meet a Kerala delegation," he said.
"This is for the first time a PM has behaved so rudely and he is trying to be the biggest dictator in history and has insulted Kerala," said Mr Chennithala.
Mr Sudheeran criticised Mr Modi saying he had challenged the federal system of the country. "This is for the first time a PM has refused to meet a team comprising the chief minister, opposition leader and other senior leaders of various parties to discuss the vital issues in the state," he said.
"The country feels ashamed of the PM. He has behaved with narrow-mindedness and arrogance and insulted the people," Mr Sudheeran added.
The all-party delegation, sans the BJP leaders, was planning to meet the PM and union finance minister Arun Jaitley in Delhi on Thursday and submit a memorandum to them on the cooperative sector issue.
