Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Ministers Boycott Governor Khan's 'At Home' Reception On Republic Day Evening

Kerala Chief Minister and his council of ministers boycotted the 'At Home' reception hosted by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on the Republic Day evening amid the ongoing rift.

This comes after the duo did not greet each other, earlier in the day, during the Republic Day celebrations at Central Stadium.

Hindustan Times reported that they were invited to the event between 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm, but none of them showed up. The only official to attend the event was the principal secretary of the general administration department, KR Jyothilal.

Other bureaucrats like the Chief secretary and state director general of police (DGP) also stayed away from the event.

Khan had earlier said in his Republic Day address, "We should not allow group rivalries or internal struggles for power to affect the governance."

He also pointed out that cooperative federalism requires support from all stakeholders, including the states of the union.

"The essence of cooperative federalism is what has kept our country united and strong all these years. It is our bounden duty to ensure that this essence is not diluted," he said during budget session inaugural.