‘All-party Delegation Denied Permission to Meet PM on Floods’

KOCHI:
Congress in Kerala alleged that an all-party delegation of MPs, which wanted to meet the Prime Minister to raise the issue of the devastatation caused by the recent floods, was denied an appointment to meet him.
The delegation, headed by former defence minister A K Antony and comprising MPs from Congress-led UDF and CPI(M)- led LDF, were denied permission by the Prime Minister’s Office though they had given a letter on August 27, seeking an appointment with Modi on any date convenient to him, AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal alleged.
Venugopal, representing flood-hit Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency, said he received a telephone call from the Home Minister’s Office Monday,saying that the PMO has forwarded the request to the Home Minister,asking him to meet Kerala MPs.
He said that there was no point in meeting Rajnath Singh again as the delegation had already met him, Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Consumer Affairs Minister, seeking the assistance of their ministries for flood-affected Kerala.
Venugopal described the PMO’s decision as ‘undemocratic.’
“We are the elected representatives and we believe that we have every right to meet the Prime Minister to place the people’s grievances before him. But he decided not to meet us. It is an insult to the people of Kerala,” Venugopal said.
He said the MPs wanted to place certain demands, including grant of more financial aid to flood hit Kerala and removal of a clause from a government policy decision that prevents India from accepting foreign aid as disaster relief.