Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that he had requested Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar "not to take trouble" in receiving him early morning at the airport for his visit to the headquarters of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bengaluru where he felicitated the scientists for the successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon.
Addressing a gathering of people after landing in Bengaluru, PM Modi said, "I had appealed to Karnataka CM, Deputy CM and Governor that I will come in the morning. I asked them not to take the trouble of coming. I will leave after congratulating the scientists. I requested them not to come to welcome me. Accordingly, the CM and DCM have followed the protocol. I am grateful to them for this," the Prime Minister said.
Also read: We have achieved what no one else could, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Chandrayaan-3 success
Likewise, none of the state BJP leaders had come to receive PM Modi at the airport. It is said that PM Modi did not invite the political figures to limit the tour to congratulating ISRO scientists. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bengaluru for the felicitation program of ISRO scientists for the Chandrayaan-3 success, none of the leaders including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah went to the welcome.
This was against the protocol as usually the governor, chief minister, or senior minister who is the first citizen of the state receives the PM at the airport on a state visit. Sources said that CM Siddaramaiah had instructed Home Minister Dr G Parameshwar to invite PM Modi on behalf of the state government. But at the last moment, the PM's office informed the state government against sending the minister.
Meanwhile, Karnataka deputy chief minister, DK Shivakumar said he "fully agrees with whatever the Prime Minister has said". "We weresupposed to go and receive him but since we had the information fromthe Prime Minister's Office officially, we wanted to respect it...Thepolitical game is over, now we are looking at development...EitherChief Minister or I was ready to go and receive him but since we gotofficial communication we were not a part of it," Shivakumar said.
