Miffed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Somalia remark’, the Kerala government is planning approach the Election Commission against him.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Thursday told the media that a petition would be filed with the Commission after consultations with legal experts. He had written to Modi asserting that his statement at an election rally at Thiruvananathapuram on Monday that Kerala fared worse than Somalia in infant mortality was baseless. But Modi had chosen to remain silent. “His silence has shocked Kerala and the Keralites across the world,” Chandy rued. “Modi has chosen to ignore that Kerala is an integral part of India, and that he is the Prime Minister.”
Though he had an opportunity to make amends to the ‘baseless allegation’ while addressing a campaign meeting near Kochi on Wednesday, the PM kept mum, Chandy said.
He quoted from the United Nations Human Development Index to stress his point that Kerala topped all HDI categories in India. “He compares Kerala with Somalia; but why doesn’t he compare it with Gujarat, which is 11th in HDI?” Chandy wondered.