Senior parliamentarian N K Premachandran accuses Pinarayi Vijayan govt of neglecting MPs

Senior Lok Sabha member N K Premachandran on Tuesday accused the Pinarayi Vijayan government of showing political narrow-mindedness by neglecting parliament members like him during functions in the state.

Premachandran, who claims he was not invited for the valedictory function of the 62nd Kerala State School Youth Festival, complained that he has suffered this ''deliberate neglect'' for a long time.

The MP is from the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), a member of the opposition UDF in Kerala.

''There is no protocol or justice when Pinarayi Vijayan is ruling Kerala,'' he alleged while speaking to reporters here.

The MP claimed that he was given no responsibility in connection with the youth festival nor was he invited for the valedictory function.

''I am not complaining as this is nothing new. It has been going on for a long time. Even in programmes related to Centre-sponsored projects in Kollam, I, being the MP of the area, have not been invited on many occasions.

''Even when invited, there have been instances where I have been deliberately insulted,'' he alleged.

He further claimed that he came to know he was not invited for the concluding ceremony of the festival on instructions received from the office of General Education Minister V Sivankutty.

''What logical justification can be given by the minister for this? Why such political narrow-mindedness? What kind of political bankruptcy is this? The CPI(M) is showing political narrow-mindedness in such matters,'' Premachandran alleged.

He did concede that he was invited for the festival's inauguration and that he had participated in the same.

However, often MPs, including him, were seated in such a manner that their faces would not show up in the TV channel ''frames'', the MP alleged.

He also claimed that MPs Kodikunnil Suresh and A M Arif were made to sit in the second row on the stage behind the local MLAs and Kollam corporation mayor.

He said that such tactics would not result in people forgetting about their parliament members. ''That seems to be the intention in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls,'' he added.

The 62nd Kerala State School Youth Festival, the five-day art, music and dance extravaganza, concluded on Monday with Kannur district clinching the golden cup and becoming the champions.