Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and several ministers skipped an official event attended by Prime Minister Modi, citing political tensions.
Kerala CM and Ministers Skip PM Modi Event Amid Political Tensions
“I had not received any official communication inviting him to the function and termed the move ‘political’ and ‘not befitting a democracy’,” stated P A Mohammed Riyas, the Public Works Department Minister, regarding his absence from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s event in Kochi on March 11, 2026.
Riyas, along with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other state ministers, notably M B Rajesh and K Krishnankutty, chose to skip the event which was marked by the inauguration of significant development projects, including the six-lane expansion of National Highway 66.
The backdrop of this political decision stems from a growing controversy over Riyas’s exclusion from the event, which he claimed was not communicated to him officially. This incident has sparked accusations of political maneuvering within the state’s political landscape.
General Education Minister V Sivankutty expressed his dismay, calling the exclusion of Riyas “shocking” and “politically motivated”. This sentiment reflects a broader concern among some state officials about the implications of such exclusions in a democratic framework.
BJP leaders, on the other hand, defended the protocol followed for the event, asserting that the Chief Minister was invited appropriately. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a BJP leader, emphasized, “As head of the state, the CM was invited in accordance with the protocol.”
However, BJP leader B Gopalakrishnan alleged that the state government was attempting to consolidate Muslim votes by boycotting the Prime Minister’s event, further intensifying the political discourse surrounding the incident.
The National Highway development project, which includes the Thalappady-Chengala stretch and the Vengalam-Ramanattukara stretch of the Kozhikode bypass, was revitalized after the Left Democratic Front government came to power in 2016, highlighting the significance of these projects to the state’s infrastructure.
As the political situation evolves, the ramifications of this boycott may influence future interactions between the state government and the central administration. The absence of key figures from such a high-profile event raises questions about the ongoing relationship between Kerala’s leadership and the BJP-led central government.
Details remain unconfirmed regarding any further developments or responses from the state government following this incident. The political landscape in Kerala continues to be shaped by these tensions, reflecting the complexities of governance and representation in the region.
