Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Thursday criticised BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar and demanded an apology regarding his remarks against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and PWD Minister P A Mohammed Riyas.

Chandrasekhar on Wednesday said that as per protocol, Vijayan, being the head of the state, was invited for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official event, and if the CM was aggrieved over his son-in-law (Minister Riyas) not being there, "that is his problem".

"As head of the state, the CM was invited in accordance with the protocol. It is nowhere said that the CM's son-in-law (Riyas) and other family members also have to be invited. If they have a problem with it, so be it. That is what I have to say," the BJP leader had said.

His remarks came in the wake of the CM and other LDF ministers deciding not to attend the PM's official event inaugurating various projects in the state after Riyas was not invited for the same.

In response to the BJP leader's remarks, Sivankutty, at a press meet here, said that Chandrasekhar's statements were "disgraceful" and demanded that he withdrew them and apologise for the same.

"A person in his position should not have made such remarks. The political pettiness of the central government and the BJP will be answered by the people of Kerala," the minister said.

Sivankutty also asked Chandrasekhar that when he was referring to Riyas as "son-in-law" was he aware of the political background of the PWD minister? Detailing the political achievements of Riyas, the minister questioned whether the BJP state president can make similar claims.

Sivankutty also questioned how Chandrasekhar was eligible to be on-stage for the event.

"If the BJP state president was eligible to be on-stage, then the CPI(M) state secretary and the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief should also have been invited there. Does Rajeev Chandrasekhar have two horns? "After clawing on to the stage somehow, he is making undemocratic statements," Sivankutty said.

He further said that Riyas' qualifications came from the fact that he is a state minister and not because he is the CM's son-in-law and Chandrasekhar was eligible to only sit behind him.

"Moreover, son-in-laws are seen with great respect, except in a few cases," he added.