R Sankar's Family to Keep Away From Statue Unveiling Function in Kerala

Kollam: With controversy looming large over exclusion of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy from the statue unveiling function of R Sankar by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, the family of the former Chief Minister has decided to keep away from the event.

Mr Sankar, who was the chief minister during 1962-64, had headed the Kerala unit of the Congress and the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Sangam (SNDP), an organisation of the backward Ezhava community in the state, which is organising the statue unveiling function in Kollam.

Mohan Sankar, Chairman of Kerala State Backward Classes Development Corporation, said he was "pained" that efforts were being made to portray his father as an "RSS man".

Protesting against the exclusion of Mr Chandy from the function, Mohan Sankar said he and his sister will not attend the function, adding, "Some black hands and vested interests have worked to ensure that Chandy was excluded from the function".

42-years after his death, Mr Sankar's statue was being unveiled in the Sree Narayana College founded by him. However, Mohan Sankar said he was pained that a needless controversy had been created.

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"First inviting a person and then asking him not to attend the function was showing disrespect to the person," said Mohan Sankar, who is President of Kollam SNDP unit.

Mr Chandy had earlier stated that he was "deeply saddened" at being kept away from the function following a request of SNDP leader Vellappally Natesan.

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Mr Chandy had said that though he should have been present at the function being attended by the Prime Minister, and also because Mr Sankar was a former Chief Minister and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief, he was forced to take the decision to stay away following the organiser's request.