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Former IPS officer and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor R Sreelekha has clarified that she kept her distance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Thiruvananthapuram as she was “trained not to approach people unless invited,” amid speculation triggered by viral visuals from the event.
Openly displaying what appeared to be dissatisfaction, Sreelekha stood aside while other leaders interacted with the Prime Minister during his visit to the Kerala capital on Friday, January 23. She was also seen not joining party leaders when they sent off the Prime Minister. The visuals quickly went viral on social media, prompting political speculation.
Prime Minister Modi was in Thiruvananthapuram to inaugurate Union government projects and address a public gathering, besides holding a series of meetings focused on governance, social outreach, and emerging political alignments in the state.
Although seated just behind the Prime Minister, Sreelekha made no attempt to interact with him. In contrast, other leaders, including Thiruvananthapuram Mayor VV Rakesh and Deputy Mayor Asha Nath, were seen engaging with Modi.
Responding to the controversy, Sreelekha released a video statement on her Facebook page, explaining her conduct. “I am new to politics. I served as a police officer for 33.5 years, including VVIP duties, where discipline is extremely important. I believed that, as a party worker, I should remain in my place when the Prime Minister arrived. I was trained not to approach people unless invited, and that is why I did not approach him,” she said.
She also criticised the media for highlighting the incident and asserted her loyalty to the party, stating that she would “always stand with the BJP.”
The incident comes against the backdrop of her earlier remarks expressing disappointment over the BJP’s decision not to appoint her as the Thiruvananthapuram Mayor. She later clarified that she was not dissatisfied with the party.
Sreelekha made history as the first woman IPS officer from the Kerala cadre after joining the service in 1987. She retired in 2020 and subsequently joined the BJP. She currently represents the Sasthamangalam ward in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and serves as the BJP’s state vice president.