N. Prasanth, MK RaghavanKozhikode: The ongoing war of words between Kozhikode MP M.K. Raghavan and district collector N. Prasanth has gone to new levels with the bureaucrat posting a map of Kunnamkulam on his Facebook page allegedly in reply to the politician's call for apology.
The IAS officer's act of posting the map is seen as a sarcastic way of replying to Raghavan who had on Thursday demanded that the collector apologize to him in public. 'Map' in Malayalam means apology.
However, the officer - who is known as Collector Bro in social circles - has rubbished all such interpretations and said that he posted the map only for educational purposes.
The collector said he was being personally attacked, adding that he did not mean to make any controversy over it. M.K. Raghavan had on Thursday threatened to move legally against Prashanth on charges of defamation. Raghavan was provoked by the accusation made by the collector that the MP had threatened officials during a review meeting over the disbursal of funds.
However, the MP had said he had only raised his concern over the holding back of 35 projects, which come under MPLADS scheme in the name of re-inspection. Prasanth had said that an MP cannot ask for avoiding scrutiny and inspection of works. Taking a dig at Raghavan, Prasanth had said the MP need not worry about the income of contractors.
“I had the record of completing cent per cent of the MPLADS during 2009-14. But now, only 55 per cent had been completed due to the holding back of the projects by the district administration in the name of re-inspection. Re-inspection is fine but it should be expedited. The same collector had given nod to all projects till March,” Raghavan was quoted as saying by a national daily.
