CM Kumaraswamy backs brother Revanna over controversy of 'throwing' food packets to flood victims

BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy backed his brother and Karnataka government Minister HD Revanna over the controversy of 'throwing' food packets to flood victims in the state. Defending his brother, Kumaraswamy said that the act was not out of 'arrogance'.

"I have noticed that the issue has come in TV, don't take him otherwise. I have crosschecked... While distributing the biscuits, there were large number of people there and there was no place for movement," he said.

He added that Revanna was also pained with the way he was being portrayed. "If he (Revanna) had asked someone to distribute, the issue wouldn'tz have arisen at all," Kumaraswamy said.

Revanna's son, Prajwal also came to his defence. Prajwal said his father was "a humble" person and wanted to help the flood-hit people at the camp. "My father is a humble person. Since he has concern for the marooned, he had visited relief camps to given them succour," he said.

Revanna courted a controversy after a video purportedly showing him flinging food packets at flood victims in a relief camp in Hassan district went viral. The PWD Minister was seen picking biscuit packets and hurling them at the people sheltered in the relief camp.

As the video clip went viral in the social media besides being aired by TV channels, netizens and BJP leaders termed Revanna's action as 'insensitive'. Senior BJP leader S Suresh Kumar flayed Revanna for the act.

"Dear Public Works Minister, throwing biscuits (at the flood victims) is not a public work... Is it the bloated ego, uncivilised behaviour... Behind throwing biscuits?" he asked in a facebook post. 

Several districts in Karnatka have been hit by heavy rains in the past several days.