Thiruvananthapuram: After widespread criticism, "Metro man" E. Sreedharan has been invited to the inauguration of Kochi Metro on Saturday by prime minister Narendra Modi, it was announced on Thursday.
The Prime Minister's Office has invited both Sreedharan and opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala to share the dais, tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran and BJP state president Kummanem Rajasekheran separately told the media.
After it became clear on Wednesday that Sreedharan was not among the invitees to be with Modi on the dais, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to the PMO.
But the request to include local legislator P.T. Thomas on the dais was not accepted.
BJP Kerala president Kummanam Rajasekharan said he had got a confirmation in this regard from the prime minister's office. A controversy had erupted after the names of Sreedharan and others were found missing from the list of dignitaries who will share the stage with prime minister Narendra Modi during the inaugural.
Meanwhile, Kadakampally alleged that Kummanam was trying to take credit of the invitation to Sreedharan.
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Meanwhile, Sreedharan on Thursday sought to downplay the controversy.
Sreedharan, here to oversee the final round of preparations for Saturday's event, said there was nothing unusual in the decision of not being invited on the stage as such restrictions were usual in a program being attended by the prime minister.
"Please don't make a controversy over the issue. Prime minister's security is important," Sreedharan said, adding that the program should be conducted as per the preparations made by the prime minister's security agencies.
"I have no issues. Since I am a worker here, there is no need for an invitation," Sreedharan said when asked about the PMO's decision.
The Kerala government had on Wednesday shot off a letter to the PMO to accommodate three more dignitaries, including Sreedharan, the DMRC principal advisor popularly known as the 'metro man', on the dais during the inaugural function.