 "Ansari row: Govt apologises for Ram Madhav's criticism")
Amid reports that the government is upset with the needless controversy triggered by Madhav’s comments, Union minister Shripad Naik citing protocol said the Vice-President cannot be invited to an event where the Prime Minister is the chief guest.
“Unknowingly something happens, we apologise for that. It should have been avoided. It’s a mistake. He (Madhav) agrees, he apologised. He withdrew his statement,” Naik said when asked to comment on Madhav's controversial tweets on Sunday.
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About the warrant of precedence, Naik said, “When the Prime Minister is the chief guest, then inviting the Vice President is not proper. That is the protocol. That's why we did not send the invite to him. President and vice-president are above the Prime Minister as per order of precedence and we cannot invite them accordingly.”
Naik is the Minister of State for AYUSH, the ministry that organised the International Day of Yoga event at Rajpath in Delhi.
Asked about the controversy and the accusation he was ‘targeting’ the Vice-President, Madhav said: “As far as the tweet is concerned, it was withdrawn and the matter is closed there and ends there.” Madhav, who was deputed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) last July to work with the BJP, said there is no further discussion on the issue from his side. “I want the yoga event to be remembered for millions and millions of people who have participated in it. I do not want any further controversy over it or any issue,” he told reporters in Jammu.
The Vice-President's office said the matter is closed as Naik's statement “seems logical”. “For us that's the end of the matter,” it said.
Madhav had deleted the tweet about Ansari's absence and apologised on Sunday itself, saying he later learnt that the Vice-President was unwell.
The Vice-President's office, however, said it was not correct. "Vice-President was not sick. He was never invited for the yoga programme," it said, adding, "The Vice President only attends those programmes in which the Minister concerned invites him as per protocol".
Ansari practices yoga regularly and, according to reports, did yoga at his residence on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Congress accused the BJP of playing “divisive politics” on the International Day of Yoga by targeting Ansari and demanded that Madhav tender an apology.
“The Vice-President has been targeted on International Yoga Day. While yoga is all-inclusive, the BJP has showed its divisive politics by such an action. Ram Madhav should apologise,” party spokesperson R P N Singh told reporters.
Notably, in a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leader L K Advani said several senior leaders of the party had made great contribution to yoga.
“The concept of yoga is not of today. The Jan Sangh, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and senior leaders of the BJP made great contribution to it,” Advani said at a yoga event in Palampur in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday.
All India Congress Committee general-secretary Shakeel Ahmad said Madhav's statement comments were unfortunate. “This shows the mindset of the RSS, because Ram Madhav is the representative of the RSS in the BJP... They are trying to divide the society... Targeting the Vice President of this country exclusively on the basis of his name or his religion is certainly unfortunate and it shows simply the mentality of the RSS and BJP.”
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) wondered whether the Vice President was excluded because of his religion.
“Is it because he is Muslim? The government and the PM must answer how a Vice President was not invited. It is a serious omission,” said NCP leader Majid Memon.