KOCHI :Mayor Soumini Jain's letter to President Ram Nath Kovind in which she alleged major protocol violation during the President's recent visit here took a new turn with the Principal Secretary to the Governor directing the Principal Secretary, General Administration Department(GAD) and Chief Protocol officer to have the issue probed.
This was formally conveyed by the Governor's Principal Secretary Davendra Kumar Dhodawat in a letter to Jain. " I have been asked to convey your (Mayor) petition has been forwarded to the GAD Secretary and the Chief Protocol officer, Government of Kerala for appropriate consideration," it said.
Jain expressed happiness at the matter being taken up at the highest level. "I'm happy they have taken serious note of the issue. My name had been deliberately left out of the list which was indeed an insult to the people of Kochi as I represent the city's denizens," the Mayor said here on Tuesday.
The alleged breach of protocol took place when the Mayor was denied an audience with the President who arrived at the Naval Base. " I was denied the opportunity to call on you during your recent visit to Kochi following the breach of protocol. It is highly unfortunate the Mayor was not invited to be a part of the august gathering during the visit of the Honourable President," Jain said in the letter to the President, a copy of which was sent to the Governor as well.
" It has been the tradition all along and is also mandatory for the Mayor to be invited to 'receive his Excellency(the President) on his arrival and also to the function to mark the departure of his Excellency from the city," Jain had said.