Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa dismissed as a "very lame excuse" the Centre's contention that only those Chief Ministers were invited the swearing in ceremony of President A P J Abdul Kalam who happened to be in New Delhi or desired to attend it.

"That is a very lame excuse which can't be accepted. Chief Ministers can't be expected to go around begging for invitations. We are elected representatives of the people. We should be given due respect," she told reporters.

Jayalalithaa was reacting to the Centre's assertion that under the Table of Precedence only dignitaries stationed in Delhi are invited as a rule for formal government functions and ceremonies and those outside are invited only if they happened to be there and express a desire to attend it.

PTI