'Where is development blueprint? does Mayor lack status to receive Prime Minister?' asks Minister V Sivankutty

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Minister V Sivankutty said that the decision to exclude Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V V Rajesh from the reception ceremony related to the Prime Minister’s visit is objectionable. He said the BJP had widely claimed during the election campaign that if the party came to power in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, the mayor, wearing official attire, would receive the Prime Minister at the airport. However, when the Prime Minister arrived, the mayor was not included in the list.

Taking to his Facebook page, Sivankutty said that keeping the mayor, the first citizen of the city, away from an official function is equal to insulting the people of Thiruvananthapuram and federal norms. He also questioned whether internal groupism within the BJP was behind the move, and whether V V Rajesh was considered someone who did not have the status to receive the Prime Minister.

The minister further said that BJP leaders had claimed that the Prime Minister would personally visit and announce a development blueprint within 45 days. He asked where the promised "development blueprint" for Thiruvananthapuram was, and alleged that the BJP was once again repeating its stand that it is not bound to keep its election promises.