Kerala CM and Ministers Skip PM Modi Event Amid Political Tensions
“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, the Public Works Department Minister of Kerala, after he, along with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other ministers, skipped Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official event in Kochi on March 11, 2026.
The event was marked by the inauguration of various development projects, including the six-lane expansion of National Highway 66. However, it was overshadowed by a political row regarding the exclusion of Minister Riyas from the guest list.
State Ministers M B Rajesh and K Krishnankutty also did not attend the event, with Rajesh citing prior commitments in his constituency. “I am not attending the PM’s programme. Yesterday, I came to know that my name was included in the list,” he explained.
Riyas expressed his discontent over the situation, emphasizing that he had not received any invitation. He described the exclusion as politically motivated, raising concerns about democratic practices in the state.
General Education Minister V Sivankutty echoed Riyas’s sentiments, calling the exclusion of Riyas “shocking” and “politically motivated.” This sentiment reflects a growing tension between the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the central government led by the BJP.
In response, BJP leaders defended the invitation process, asserting that the Chief Minister was invited according to protocol. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a BJP leader, stated, “As head of the state, the CM was invited in accordance with the protocol.”
However, BJP leader B Gopalakrishnan alleged that the state government was attempting to consolidate Muslim votes by boycotting the Prime Minister’s event, further complicating the political landscape.
The National Highway development project, which was inaugurated during the event, was revived only after the LDF government came to power in 2016, following the intervention of Chief Minister Vijayan.
As the political situation unfolds, the implications of this boycott may resonate beyond the immediate event, raising questions about the relationship between the state government and the central administration.
Details remain unconfirmed regarding any further developments or responses from the central government following this incident.
