New Delhi: Prime minister Narendra Modi has reportedly expressed displeasure over the exclusion of union minister of state for tourism Alphons Kannanthanam from the all-party Kerala delegation which called on him. An indication in this regard was given by the BJP leadership. Kannanthanam later said at a news conference that he had no complaints over the exclusion.
"Issues concerning Kerala have been taken up by me without any recommendations. So, I have no complaints over not being part of the delegation. Maybe the Kerala government decided that I need not accompany the team," he said.
Kannanthanam said the prime minister regularly seeks his opinion on matters concerning Kerala.
"Modi asked me why I wasn't part of the team. I told him that nobody from Kerala invited me," he added.
According to Kannanthanam, his relations with Kerala leaders are warm and cordial. "But though I have no complaints over not getting an invitation even after being the only central minister from Kerala, one should consider whether such decisions would be beneficial to the state or not. Let the people decide," he opined.
Meanwhile, union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju will visit Kerala to assess rain damage, Kannanthanam said.
On the Kanjikode coach factory, he said the matter had been taken up with the prime minister. "But he pointed out that nothing had happened even though there were eight central ministers from Kerala during the previous government. Still I pleaded with him to implement the project," he said.
The central government has granted thousands of crores of rupees to Kerala. Even the chief minister has said that he had no complaints in this regard.
Kannanthanam had met union minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday and urged him to send a central team to study the monsoon calamities in Kerala. "Rajnath Singh told me that this will be done after the state government submits a memorandum in this regard," he said.
The chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, meanwhile, has officially written to Rajnath Singh to send a team to decide on the aid for the state considering the rain-related incidents.
Pinarayi has said that he was disappointed over the meeting with the prime minster. "Modi said that nothing could be done over the issues like ration quota and railway development," said the chief minister.
The all-party team from the state met the prime minister after being denied an appointment four times. It is learned that Modi handed the Kerala leaders a list of central projects which were not implemented even after funds were sanctioned by the center.
