BJP hits out at Kerala govt over decision to deny D.Litt to President

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 1 (IANS) Senior BJP leader and Union Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan, on Saturday strongly condemned the alleged decision of the Kerala government to deny an honourary D.Litt to President Ram Nath Kovind.The Union minister termed the 'decision' of the state government, if true, as a shame.

It may be noted that senior Congress leader and former Opposition leader in Kerala, Ramesh Chennithala, had alleged that the state government sabotaged the recommendation of Governor Arif Mohammed Khan to confer an honorary D.Litt on President Ram Nath Kovind.

Speaking to reporters at Thrissur, Muraleedharan said that more clarity is required on the D.Litt conferment from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The minister asked the Chief Minister as to whether the state government had taken a decision not to confer D.Litt on the President.

He said this is a clear example of the anti-Dalit stand of the Kerala government, adding that the incident has brought shame to the country and humiliated the President.

Meanwhile, BJP's Kerala unit chief K. Surendran also came out strongly against the alleged decision of the state government not to confer D.Litt on the President.

He said that the Chief Minister must come out with details of the incident and not keep the people of the state in the dark.