Governor Arif will however PM Modi at the Thiruvananthapuram airport as he is coming to flag off the first Vande Bharat train for the state at the Central railway station.

news News Monday, April 24, 2023 - 11:43
Written by  IANS

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan will not be present at Kochi airport to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, April 24, as there are no official programmes lined up for the PM in Kochi. Governor Arif, who was in the city, told the media that he would have stayed back had there been official programmes. "Since there are no official programmes in Kochi, I am returning," he said.

Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to arrive in the city at noon and at 5.30 pm, he will take part in a 1.8 kms long road show through the main road at the commercial capital of the state. At 6 pm, he is expected to address a meeting of youths drawn from several parts of the state. On the occasion will be present what the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) terms a "prized catch" - Anil Antony, son of country's longest serving Defence Minister AK Antony. Anil Antony will be showcased for the first time after he joined the BJP early this month.

After the meeting, at 7.45 pm, the PM will be meeting supreme heads of various Churches and then retire for the day at a plush private hotel at Kochi.

On Tuesday, April 25, Governor Arif will receive the Prime Minister at the Thiruvananthapuram airport as he is coming to flag off the first Vande Bharat train for the state at the Central railway station. The Governor would then join the PM at the Central stadium where PM Modi launches various projects. At 12.40 pm, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to fly to Surat, his home state.