Several days after the Kerala government's alleged “failure” to invite Governor P Sathasivam for the state formation day celebrations, the Speaker has expressed regret over the development.
In a letter to the Governor on Sunday, Kerala Assembly Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan said that the government had not deliberately kept him out of the ceremony on November 1.
The Speaker had reportedly tried to meet the Governor and explain matters after the controversy broke out. But he was unable to do so, as the Governor had left to Chennai on the same day.
Sreeramakrishnan explained that the intention was to make the Governor part of more important functions to be held as part of the year-long celebrations. The decision was to have the Chief Minister in the opening ceremony of the festivities, and the Governor in the closing ceremony, the letter pointed out.
Speaker Sreeramakrishnan said he learned that the Governor was upset only through media reports. He apologized for any hurt that the issue might have caused the Governor.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had earlier cited protocol issues for the government's decision. Saying that the Governor was not "forgotten", the CM had said that the number of people who attended the event would have had to be cut down if the Governor had been invited.