The Prime Minister's Office sought a report on the incident in which the young woman attended an international conference; V Muraleedharan in the loop?

The Prime Minister's Office has sought a report from the Foreign Office on the incident in which Smitha Menon attended an international conference in Abu Dhabi. Earlier, diplomats and others had said that Union Minister V Muraleedharan had committed a serious offense in the incident. This was followed by the action of the Prime Minister's Office.

Smitha Menon had explained that she had attended the ministerial meeting in the UAE with the permission of Union Minister V Muraleedharan. Responding to a question on whether he should be allowed to attend the event, the minister later corrected that permission was not only for them. The reality is that none of the arguments made by Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on the issue will stand.