Rajnath says government had no role in excluding Oommen Chandy from SNDP event

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday tried to clear the air over the controversy surrounding Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's exclusion from an event.

According to reports, Chandy has been excluded from an Sree Narayan Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) event to mark the unveiling a statue of former Congress Chief Minister R Sankar.

On 14 December, SNDP leader Vellapally Natesan accepted responsibility of Chandy's exclusion. "There has been no pressure from the BJP or anyone else to prevent the Chief Minister from attending the function", an Indian Express report quoted him as saying.

Singh took to Twitter to say that the center had no role to play in the event.

The controversy over the invitation to PM Shri @narendramodi for SNDP function is needless and based on presumptions and assumption.

- Rajnath Singh (@BJPRajnathSingh) December 14, 2015

SNDP is a social organisation and extending invitations to individuals or dignitaries is its own decision and discretion.

- Rajnath Singh (@BJPRajnathSingh) December 14, 2015

The SNDP must have invited the Kerala CM also for the function but later changed its mind and decided against it. Govt had no role in this.

- Rajnath Singh (@BJPRajnathSingh) December 14, 2015

The NDA government does not believe in confrontation with any state government. We always work to strengthen cooperative federalism

- Rajnath Singh (@BJPRajnathSingh) December 14, 2015

Earlier, Kerala CM Chandy had also tweeted about the incident and said that people of Kerala were insulted by his exclusion.

I considered the opportunity to participate in the statue unveiling function of Shri #RShankar as an honour.

- Oommen Chandy (@Oommen_Chandy) December 14, 2015

I felt extremely sad when I was told not to attend the function by the organisers who invited me to the event.

- Oommen Chandy (@Oommen_Chandy) December 14, 2015

It is not a personal insult. #Kerala was insulted when its CM was denied the right to participate in an event where the PM is attending.

- Oommen Chandy (@Oommen_Chandy) December 14, 2015

#RShankar spent his entire life as a #Congress worker. He worked incessantly to spread the ideals and teachings of #SreeNarayanaGuru.

- Oommen Chandy (@Oommen_Chandy) December 14, 2015

#RShankar led the #SNDP and #SNTrust in spreading #SreeNarayanaDharmam. He was never a follower of #JanSangh or its ideology.

- Oommen Chandy (@Oommen_Chandy) December 14, 2015