Smitha Menon was recently surrounded by many issues. Responding to the controversy over the participation of a public relations professional, Smitha Menon, in a ceremony for foreign ministers in Dubai, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan informed the media on Friday that her cooperation was not in breach of any protocols. Incidentally, Smitha Menon is also the president of BJP’s Kerala unit of Mahila Morcha, and there were allegations that the Union Minister from Kerala had breached protocols by helping Smita participate in the international event along with him.

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The Indian Ocean Rim Association Council of Ministers was held in Abu Dhabi in November 2019. The Council of Foreign Ministers (COM), which is the apex body of IORA, is held every year. The admission to the event is reportedly only to some invitees along with the ministers. Countering to the controversy, Smitha said that she took part in the event as a media person, although she works for a PR company. She also said that she took part in the event as part of her job and by spending money from her own pocket.

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The dispute started last week when Saleem Madavur, Loktantrik Yuva Janata Dal national president, had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that Muraleedharan violated the protocol and also demanded an inquiry on Smitha’s participation in the conference. Some media channels had run a photo of an event where Smitha could be seen sitting behind Muraleedharan on the stage. However, it is not clear if it is from the same event.

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