KOZHIKODE: The unseemly war between Kozhikode MP M.K. Raghavan and district collector N. Prasanth had an apparently happy ending on Monday with two deciding to bury the hatchet and work for the betterment of the district. A thaw in the fight appeared on Sunday evening when Mr Prasant put up a Facebook post seeking unconditional apology for the hurt caused to the leader through his earlier posts.
The collector said he was sad that the warm personal relationship he had with the MP soured and wished to settle that through personal talks. The MP replied that the collector’s apology was a positive sign. On Monday, the two held a meeting at the residence of Mr M.P. Veerendrakumar, MP.
The war of words between them had come to the fore over the disbursal of MPLADS fund. The MP had said that Mr Prasanth was delaying the developmental projects in the name of review and inspection. He had failed to give a reply for the letter sent by the MP on June 16 and instead used the public relations department to spread false information that the MP had threatened the collectorate staff in his absence.
Mr Raghavan approached Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and submitted complaints to him and the chief secretary. The collector’s apology came after the Chief Minister reportedly took a strong stance against a bureaucrat insulting a people’s representative. There are also reports that the revenue department has sought the shifting of the collectors in Kozhikode, Kollam and Ernakulam.
