Kozhikode: District collector N Prasanth tendered an unconditional apology to Kozhikode MP M K Raghavan on Sunday after the war of words between the two lasted for five days. In a message posted on his private
Facebook page late on Sunday night,
Prasanth said that he didn't mean to insult the MP.
"I am extremely pained that the cordial ties I had with M K
Raghavan was sullied to this extent.
I didn't mean to insult the MP who is occupying a much higher position and is more experienced. I would like to sort out the personal issues through a personal talk," he said.
"The harsh words he used shows the extent of anger he felt against me. I have no hesitation to admit that I am fully responsible for it. I apologize for the actions which caused him such mental pain," Prasanth said in the Facebook post.
He, however, said that certain official matters should be taken forward by obeying set rules. "I think that I will be able to convince him about it," he said.
Reacting to the apology, Raghavan said it was a positive development. "As a person I don't have any ill feelings against Prasanth. I take his apology with an open mind. But the issues I have raised as a people's representative like the delays in sanctioning my MPLADS works have not been addressed yet," he said.
The public spat between the MP and collector started off after the MP accused that the collector was deliberately delaying the sanctioning of the works implemented using his MP funds.
The MP sought an apology from the collector on Thursday for ‘misrepresenting' the proceedings of the MPLAD's review meeting on Wednesday. The MP said that the district administration spread false news about the meeting through the information and public relations department. He threatened that he would take legal action if the collector did not apologize.
In an apparent reaction to the MP's demand for apology, (mappu in Malayalam) the collector posted the map of Kunnamkulam which further vitiated the public spat between the two. The MP had given a complaint to chief minister
Pinarayi Vijayan and chief secretary S M Vijayanand against Prasanth on Saturday.