Following the controversy surrounding her conduct on stage with PM Narendra Modi, former DGP and newly elected Sasthamangalam councillor R. Sreelekha broke her silence on Saturday.
The BJP leader said that she had kept her distance from PM Modi on stage due to her years of training and discipline, which had taught her not to approach a VVIP unless invited to do so.
Sreelekha faced a wave of criticism following reports that she intentionally distanced herself from the Prime Minister, allegedly due to her dissatisfaction over not being named the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Mayor.
Refuting the reports, she said that they were "misleading". For 33 years, what I learned and did was a police officer's duty; politics is new for me, Sreelekha said.
She also added that, "For someone who has done a lot of VVIP duty, discipline is very important for me. So, I thought I should remain in the position I was given, as a party worker, when the PM arrived, and that is what I did."
Also read
- All eyes on UDF as CPI(M) icon G Sudhakaran set to contest from Ambalappuzha as Indpendent
- EXCLUSIVE | CPI(M) sent show-cause notices to members accused in Sabarimala gold theft case, confirms M.A. Baby
- 'BJP-NDA govt will never abandon any Indians in trouble': Modi guarantees safety of Indian citizens in the Middle East
- India’s ageing future is already here: What Kerala and Tamil Nadu are teaching the nation
Clarifying her actions, she explained that her professional training taught her not to approach high-level officials without an invitation. She added that she remained by her seat because she felt it would be inappropriate to crowd the VVIP entrance used by the Prime Minister.
Visuals on TV channels from the Putharikandam Maidan event showed Sreelekha seated away in a far corner of the stage. She did not go near Modi to greet him as other leaders did. As the event concluded, she quietly exited from the side of the stage while the rest of the BJP leadership gathered for the Prime Minister’s departure.
Modi arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday and launched several development projects, flagged off four trains in Kerala and also addressed a public gathering of party workers and supporters.
