Did Prime Minister's Office stop Thiruvananthapuram mayor from receiving Modi at airport? VV Rajesh responds

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Mayor VV Rajesh has reacted to the news that he was excluded from the list of those who will receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the airport when he arrives in the capital. The Mayor told the media that the Prime Minister's Office has not excluded him and that he did not attend the reception as he has to share the stage with the Prime Minister in a railway-related event and a party event.

"The mayor should also attend both the events in Thiruvananthapuram where the Prime Minister is participating. If I go to the airport to receive the Prime Minister, I will not be able to reach the other venue on time. We felt that it would be beneficial for Thiruvananthapuram and the BJP politically if the mayor attended both events. If the Mayor is not present at the Prime Minister's first event in Thiruvananthapuram after the BJP came to power, it will create a different situation. We decided that this is the way to avoid it," the Mayor said.

There were reports that the Prime Minister's Office had excluded Mayor VV Rajesh from the list of those who would receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in the capital this morning. It is customary for the mayor to receive the Prime Minister at the airport when he visits Thiruvananthapuram. The list of those who will receive Modi was already submitted to the Prime Minister's Office. The mayor's name was also included in this. Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor was also excluded from the list of those who will receive him.

This is the first time in history that the BJP is taking power in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. The activists had given a lot of publicity that the BJP mayor would receive the Prime Minister when he visits Thiruvananthapuram.