BALLARI: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah found himself in the eye of a controversy after a video clip suggested that he slapped a senior government official while trying to keep at bay a surging crowd here on Saturday.
The video clip, which went viral, suggested that he landed a slap on an official whom television channels identified as Ballari Corporation Commissioner P.G. Ramesh. With only the back of the victim shown in the video clip, his identity remained unclear. The clip, however, showed that the Chief Minister raised his hand to signal to security personnel to keep the crowd away when he arrived to inaugurate ‘Valmiki Bhavan’ and then landed on the official unintentionally.
Evidently embarrassed by this episode, both Mr Siddaramaiah and Mr Ramesh clarified that nothing of the sort shown in the video clip occurred.
In a post on the Chief Minister’s official Facebook account, Mr Siddaramaiah clarified in Kannada, “the news that is being telecast by some media channels that the Chief Minister has slapped an officer at the inauguration of Valmiki Bhavan in Ballari has surprised and saddened me. Through this, I would like to inform the people of the state that I have not slapped any officer”.
On his part, Mr Ramesh asked media persons here, “Why would the Chief Minister slap me? It’s not true. I slipped while offering him a bouquet. Then, he raised his hand directing security personnel not to push me and stop the commotion.”
