THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Minister Alphons Kannanthanam responds to the controversy of the selfie taken during the last rites of V V Vasantha Kumar, a Keralite, who lost his life in Kashmir. The picture posted in his Facebook page had sparked a controversy. The minister said the picture taken during the last rites of the jawan was taken by somebody there and then sent to my office. The note in his Facebook page mentioned that if looked properly one will understand that it is not a selfie.

The minister said, “I don’t take selfies and haven’t taken one so far. Some media had aired live the last rites of the jawan. Things are clear in that. I am a person who have held various posts in the last 40 years of my life. I had served people of slum areas in Delhi without holding any posts. My father was also a soldier. So, I am able to understand the sacrifice of the Indian soldiers. Instead of creating unnecessary controversies, the younger generations should work for the development of the country.”