Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said that, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has insulted Kerala state, referring to Oommen Chandy invitation row.

Just before few hours of Modi making his first visit to Kerala, after the formation of his government, Rahul Gandhi said that, PM insulted the whole state, upon dropping the state Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, even after inviting for a function in the beginning.

Speaking on the issue, Rahul Gandhi said, “PM has insulted the people of Kerala by stopping our Chief Minister from attending a function. The chief minister is the voice of the people of Kerala. This is simply not acceptable to us.”

Not stopping there, targeting the Prime Minster’s office, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V.M. Sudheeran said, “One will have to find out if the PMO had a role in this episode. Also a communal agenda cannot be ignored as this is a shame to the state of Kerala when its CM has been asked to stay away.”

Modi is going to inaugurate former Congress leader R Sanker’s statue in Kollam and even Kerala CM’s name was included in the event, but he was reportedly ignored by Modi.

Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, representing backward Ezhava community, has organized the event.

The community people even set up a new political party recently and it was the party’s head, Vellapalli Natesan, who reportedly told Chandy that, some groups, belonging to R Sanker, had opposed his presence at the statue inauguration function.

The group is even expected to join hands with BJP, in the state polls, which are going to be held, next year.

Meanwhile, the state BJP leader, B Muralidharan denied Rahul Gandhi’s statements, saying that, it is a private function, where no official protocol applies and even Chief Minister’s presence is not required.

Upon the continuous defeats in all the recently held elections, it seems, BJP is keen about getting a victory in Kerala and so planning the strategies accordingly, avoiding Congress leaders.

By Phani Ch