From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Aug 26: After the unseemly fracas between union defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Karnataka’s tourism minister Sa Ra Mahesh during the former’s recent visit to the rain-hit Kodagu district and the intervention by state deputy chief minister Dr G Parameshwara, chief minister H D Kumaraswamy on Sunday, August 26 tweeted to say he was ‘deeply pained at the turn of events’ and said ‘it was time to forgive each other’.

The chief minister’s reference was to the union minister's outburst at the state tourism minister Sa Ra Mahesh and a subsequent rebuttal by Dr Parameshwara.

Sitharaman had visited the State to survey the ground situation in Kodagu, for which Karnataka has urged the centre to release Rs 2000 crore relief package from the centre.

In the letter tweeted from the chief minister’s official handle today, Kumaraswamy said his tourism minister has ‘tirelessly worked to oversee the rescue and relief operations on the ground’.

Without going into the details, Kumaraswamy’s letter said ‘it was unfortunate’ the Union minister had to ‘go through certain inconveniences’.

On Friday, asked to wrap up a press conference by the state minister, Sitharaman had lashed out at Sa Ra Mahesh, saying, "I am following a minute-to-minute programme, minister. If officials are important, my parivaar (family) is also important....Central minister follows the minister in-charge here. Unbelievable.”

When told the conversation was getting recorded on cameras, Sitharaman, a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, snapped, "Let it get recorded."

As the state issued a clarification about the events, deputy chief minister Dr G Parameshwara tweeted his disapproval, hinting that the Central Minister was not the one to dictate terms as if she was the boss.

"Madam @nsitharaman, our ministers have stayed back in Kodagu for weeks to oversee relief operations along with district administration. You should extend to them the same respect that they extend for the help from your end. It was disappointing to see you lash out at my colleague," Dr Parameshwara's tweet read.

A second tweet said, "State Governments derive their powers from our Constitution not from the Centre. The Constitution has distributed powers among the Centre and States to ensure an equitable partnership between both. We are not inferior to the Centre. We are partners @nsitharaman.’’

In his letter today, Kumaraswamy said he has spoken the union minister on phone.

"I believe this is the time for all of us to forget small differences and forgive each other and join hands for the rehabilitation of the flood affected people in Kodagu,’’ he added.