In a Facebook post, state BJP president Kummanam Rajasekharan claimed "the inaugural address by Sonia Gandhi, placing her above CM is definitely breach of protocol and an insult to Kerala."
He also took a dig at Chandy saying "the Chief Minister made a protocol issue over a private function involving the Prime Minister. Isn't he breaching every protocol in the government college programme today?"
The newly-appointed BJP chief was referring to the controversy over the exclusion of Chandy from the unveiling of statue of former state Chief Minister R Sankar at Kollam recently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He also criticised CPI(M) for remaining "silent" over the issue.
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Meanwhile, in an apparent reply to the state BJP chief, Chandy said at the inauguration of RIT that it was the wish of the local people that the institute should be dedicated to the country by Sonia Gandhi herself.
He said when the plan was first mooted in 1991, local people, irrespective of politics, had placed only one condition that it should be inaugurated by Sonia Gandhi.