Wednesday, Feb 16, 2005
Wednesday, Feb 16, 2005 |
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By Our Staff Reporter
KOCHI, FEB. 15. The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, who reached the State for a two-day visit, was accorded a rousing reception at the Kochi Naval airport today. The aircraft carrying the Primer touched down at the Naval airport at 3 p.m. The Prime Minister was received at the tarmac by R. L. Bhatia, Kerala Governor, the Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, T. R. Balu, Union Minister for Shipping, C. M. Dinesh Mani, Kochi Mayor, Vice-Admiral, S. C. S. Bangara, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, and the former Chief Minister A. K. Antony. A host of Congress leaders, including Thennala Balakrishna Pillai, KPCC president, Congress leaders Vayalar Ravi, MP, and Ramesh Chennithala, Babu Jacob, Kerala Chief Secretary, Raman Srivastava, Director General of Police, and A. P. M. Mohammed Hanish, District Collector, received the Prime Minister at the tarmac. The Prime Minister was accompanied by his wife, Gurusharan Kaur, and E. Ahamed, Minister for State for External affairs. It was in a blue BMW car that was brought from New Delhi that the Prime Minister travelled to the hotel from the airport. Tight security arrangements were made at the Naval airport and adjoining areas for the Prime Minister's visit. One of the officials in charge of the security arrangements was seen pushing aside a Naval officer who was assigned the task of taking pictures from the tarmac. The official videographer of the State police was also forced to move out from the tarmac by some members of the Special Protection Group. As the visiting dignitaries were escorted to the car, former Chief Ministers K. Karunakaran and A. K. Antony, who had earlier locked horns, were seen returning to the pavilion under one umbrella. While the Chief Minister appeared very serious throughput the reception programme, Congress leaders, including Thennala Balakrishna Pillai and others, were seen sharing jokes with Mr. Antony. Though Mr. Karunakaran reached the airport to receive the Prime Minister, his son and `I' faction leader K. Muraleedharan, did not turn up at the airport as he was busy attending a meeting of the KSU and Youth Congress leaders owing allegiance to the faction. Mr. Muraleedharan and senior `I' group leaders from the district were in Thiruvananthapuram attending a meeting of the KSU and Youth Congress leaders owing allegiance to the faction. Several senior bureaucrats who reached the airport to receive the Prime Minister were seen congratulating Raman Srivastava, the newly appointed State Director General of Police. Those who reached the Naval airport to receive the Prime Minister included the State Ministers, Vakkom Purushothaman, E. T. Mohammad Basheer, K. R. Gouri, K. K. Ramachandran, K. M. Mani, M.V. Raghavan, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, N. Sakthan, C. F. Thomas, Dominic Presentation, M. K. Muneer, Aryadan Mohammad, A. P. Anilkumar, V. K. Ebrahim Kunju and K. C. Venugopal, V. D. Satheesan, Shobhana George, K. Babu and K.V. Thomas, MLAs, P. P. Thankachan, UDF convener, and Congress leaders Kodikukkunnil Suresh, M. I. Shanavas, P. C. Chacko, M. M. Hassan, Mullappally Ramachandran, C. P. Muhammad and Benny Behannan.
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