Are Central Ministers manufactured in heaven?: Twitterati mocks Defence Minister

Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has drawn scathing criticism for losing her cool during a press conference in Mysuru when she was asked by state minister Sa Ra Mahesh to wrap up the media conference.

“With the cameras rolling at the district commissioner's office in Mysuru, recording her every move, the minister seemed to have taken offence when district in charge minister Sa Ra Mahesh requested her to conclude her meeting with the victims, as officials involved with rehabilitation work were waiting for her,” Deccan Chronicle reported.

Several users including journalists tweeted on Saturday that the Defence Minister who was reviewing the rescue and rehabilitation work in Kodagu visited a relief camp run by Seva Bharati, affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, in Madekeri whereas the State Minister pointed out that she was supposed to visit Kushalnagar and then Madapura, as per the itinerary but it was suddenly cancelled.

“I follow the minister in charge! Central minister follows the minister in charge here! Unbelievable! I don't know if you are aware of protocol while dealing with Union minister. This is for the first time, a Union minister has to listen to a State minister. You have a list of minute-to-minute for me to follow. I am following the minister in-charge and the itinerary,” Sitharaman, a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, can be heard saying in a video that has gone viral on social media.

Sa Ra Mahesh later told Deccan Chronicle that the Union Minister was angry with him during her visit to Kodagu. “While officers waited for Union Minister Nirmala Seetharam to end her meeting, which was going on for a long time, the meeting with rehabilitation officials was delayed as Union Minister met BJP leaders and others. Since officers had to rush back to the field on emergency rescue and relief works, I tried to convey her to meet the officers first and meet BJP party leaders later. That's when Union Minister Ms Seetharam got angry with me," he was quoted as saying.

But this is not for the first time that the Union Minister is in the news for wrong reasons. In July last year, she allegedly had kept Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam waiting outside her office for over 40 minutes.