Exclusion of Kerala Public Works Minister from PM’s event stokes political controversy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated projects worth ₹11,000 crore in Kochi, Kerala, sparking a political controversy. The CPI(M)-led government boycotted the event, protesting what they called "wilful exclusion" of Public Works department (PWD) Minister P. A. Mohamed Riyas. The CPI(M) organized its own inauguration ceremony for the two road stretches, while other ministers and Congress leaders did not attend the Prime Minister's event. The BJP defended the decision to invite only those on the official list, while the CPI criticized the government's "right-wing politics-driven discrimination" against Kerala.