Union Home Minister Amit Shah will not be attending the Nehru Trophy boat race at Punnamada in Alappuzha as chief guest on September 4.

Shah's proposed visit, on the invite of the Kerala Chief Minister's Office, which had caused a political debate in the state, has been cancelled reportedly due to security reasons.

It has emerged that Alappuzha is not included in Shah's itinerary during his Kerala visit.

The home minister is expected to attend the inter-state council at Kovalam on September 3.

The Congress had come down heavily on the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government for inviting Shah -- who is also a powerful BJP leader -- to the Nehru Trophy, the world-famous snake boat race named after India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who inaugurated it in 1952.

The CMO had responded recently that the invite had been extended to all major participants of the inter-state council meeting and not merely to Amit Shah.

Nevertheless, the Leader of Opposition, VD Satheesan, had reminded the Kerala CM of the Bilkis Bano case that took place when Amit Shah was the home minister of Gujarat.

Recently, 11 men convicted for rape and murder were given remission by the Gujarat government leading to opposition from various corners of the country.

Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan had even labelled CM Vijayan as a sycophant who took orders from the BJP-led Centre.

The CPM had justified the invite with its new state secretary MV Govindan saying that in a federal system interacting with national leaders was not wrong.