Kerala BJP leader denies Smriti behaved rudely with CM

Thiruvananthapuram, March 9 (IANS) A senior BJP leader on Wednesday denied media reports about union HRD Minister Smriti Irani allegedly behaving rudely with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in January.

The chief minister had gone to meet her in her office in Delhi to seek funds for the off-campus centre of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) at Malappuram in the state.

"The United Progressive Alliance government during the last leg of its second term in office sanctioned five off-campus centres of AMU due to vote bank politics. For necessary amendments to the law, the Congress will have to cooperate in the Rajya Sabha. 

"As things stand today, these five AMU centres do not have any legal sanctity and cannot be given any help by the Centre," former state BJP president V. Muraleedharan told reporters here.

Media reports said that when Chandy sought her help on the matter, the union human resource development minister allegedly told him bluntly that he could take back more than 300 acres of land the Kerala government had allotted to the AMU off-campus centre at Malappuram.

On his part, Chandy told IANS that he did not wish to comment. This question could be put to others present along with him during the meeting with Irani, he added.

Chandy was accompanied by senior leaders of the Indian Union Muslim League.