BENGALURU: The public spat between defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Karnataka tourism minister Sa Ra Mahesh in Kodagu escalated into a war of words between the state and Centre on Saturday. While deputy chief minister G Parameshwara accused Sitharaman of “lashing out” against his colleague, the defence ministry said Mahesh’s “personal remarks” against the Union minister were in “bad taste”.

Parameshwara took to Twitter to back Mahesh, saying, “Our ministers have stayed back in Kodagu for weeks to oversee relief operations along with the district administration. You should extend to them the same respect that they extend for the help from your end. It was disappointing to see you lash out at my colleague.”

On Friday, during a visit to flood--hit Kodagu, the Union minister had snapped at Mahesh, who is the district in-charge minister, when the latter rushed her through her interactions with ex-servicemen and asked her to attend a review meeting with officials instead.

“I am following a minuteto-minute programme, minister,” Sitharaman told Mahesh in the presence of mediapersons. “If officials are important, my parivar (family) is also important. Central minister follows the minister in-charge here. Unbelievable.” Parameshwara tweeted: “State governments derive their powers from our Constitution not from the Centre. We are not inferior to the Centre.”

