Three Chief Ministers from the South to skip Modi's swearing-in-ceremony

The News Minute| May 26, 2014| 10.00 am ISTThree Chief Ministers from South India will not be attending Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony.Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and her party AIADMK will be boycotting the function protesting the presence of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.The Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will also be absent at the swearing-in-ceremony. Though the CM had said last week that he hopes for co-operation between the state and central government irrespective of party affiliations, he has chosen to skip the event.Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's office has said he is 'pre-occupied,' and will seek an appointment with the Prime Minister on his next trip to New Delhi.Senior BJP leader O Rajagopal termed Chandy’s decision to skip the ceremony as "unfortunate".