THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan’s happy ride in the company of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries on the Kochi Metro at its inaugural run on Saturday has raised several eyebrows as he appeared to be an uninvited guest. Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said it was a security breach which has to be investigated. In his Facebook post, he wondered how Mr Kummanam was allowed to accompany the prime minister as he was not included in the list prepared by the Special Protection Group.
“A person who is not even a panchayat member was allowed to encroach on the prime minister’s official programmes. Even Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala was not allowed to accompany Mr Modi on the train,” said Mr Kadakamapally. He also wrote that even after repeated requests, Metroman E. Sreedharan, Governor P. Sathasivam and Mr Ramesh Chennithala were not allowed to speak. Local MLA P.T. Thomas was also sidelined. It is at this juncture that this ‘particular individual’ encroached on the programme, Mr Kadakampally said and added that this person had attended programmes uninvited earlier also.
He also said that security measures have to be followed as per the recommendations of the blue book and strict protocol measures have to be observed. However, Mr Kummanam told DC that the controversy was unwarranted as he travelled with the PM after getting an invitation from the PMO.
“I was informed on Friday itself about the invitation for the PM’s programmes. I travelled in the government-allotted car and the DGP, city police commissioner and the lower rung of the police force were aware of my presence. I do not understand what the hullaballoo is all about,” he said.
