The Kerala government extending an invite to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the prestigious Nehru Trophy boat race has angered the Congress party.
It is understood that the CM's Office had sent the invite on August 23. The boat race will be held in the Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha on September 4.
Leader of Opposition, VD Satheesan mentioned the recent developments in the Bilkis Bano case to remind Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that Amit Shah was the home minister of Gujarat when the atrocities took place.
"The convicts in the Bilkis Bano case were given a remission and the matter is again of national interest. It is at such a time that the chief minister has invited Amit Shah to Kerala. He must explain his position," Satheesan said.
Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan had earlier equated Pinarayi Vijayan to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He accused the CM of taking orders from the Centre.
Satheesan has demanded the state government to clarify. "We are truly amused by this invite. In 2019, shortly before the Lok Sabha polls, when the prime minister came for inaugurating a bypass in Kollam, NK Premachandran MP was called a 'Sanghi' for extending the invite to the PM.
"Also, the CPM leaders had demanded the resignation of Shibu Baby John because he went to National Institute of Design in Gujarat.
"Why this double standard? Is it because of the Lavalin case or the gold-smuggling case?" asked Satheesan. In both cases, Pinarayi Vijayan had been accused.
Meanwhile, the chief minister's office has played down the controversy by saying Amit Shah was one of the many leaders invited.
The Nehru Trophy is named after India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who inaugurated the event in 1952. It is one of the popular sporting events in Kerala known mainly for the snake boats (chundan vallam).