“I had not received any official communication inviting him to the function and termed the move ‘political’ and ‘not befitting a democracy’,” stated P A Mohammed Riyas, Kerala’s Public Works Department Minister, regarding his absence from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent event in Kochi. Riyas’s comments highlight the ongoing political tensions in the state.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and several other ministers, including M B Rajesh and K Krishnankutty, also skipped the event, which was marked by controversy over Riyas’s exclusion. The Prime Minister inaugurated various development projects, including the six-lane expansion of National Highway 66, during the gathering.

Riyas claimed he had not received any official invitation, which he described as a politically motivated exclusion. This incident comes amid a backdrop of political rivalry between the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition BJP.

General Education Minister V Sivankutty expressed his dismay, stating that the exclusion of Riyas was “shocking” and “politically motivated.” This sentiment reflects a growing concern among LDF members regarding the treatment of their representatives at federal events.

BJP leaders, however, defended the protocol followed during the event. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a prominent BJP figure, asserted, “As head of the state, the CM was invited in accordance with the protocol,” indicating that the invitation process was standard.

In a further twist, BJP leader B Gopalakrishnan alleged that the state government was attempting to consolidate Muslim votes by boycotting the Prime Minister’s event. This accusation underscores the complex interplay of local and national politics in Kerala.

The National Highway development project, which includes significant expansions such as the Thalappady-Chengala stretch and the Vengalam-Ramanattukara stretch of the Kozhikode bypass, was revitalized after the LDF came to power in 2016. This revival has been a point of pride for the state government, which was the first in India to directly fund national highway development.

Details remain unconfirmed regarding the future implications of this political rift. As the situation unfolds, the dynamics between the state government and the central administration will likely remain a focal point of discussion in Kerala’s political landscape.

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