Union minister of parliamentary affairs Pralhad Joshi attacked Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Thursday for asking employees of a thermal power plant to take their grievances to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

HD Kumaraswamy courted controversy on Wednesday for shouting at the employees of the Yermarus Thermal Power Station in front of the bus he was travelling in and shouted slogans against him when was on his way to Karegudda in Raichur district as part of his village visits programme.

‘People didn’t vote for him (Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy) to be the CM. Why is he the CM?With an unhealthy alliance with Congress, he became the CM. Now, he has lost his mental balance, particularly because his son lost in the polls,’ Prahlad Joshi said, according to news agency ANI.

Joshi, who represents Karnataka’s Dharwad constituency in the Lok Sabha, had lashed out at Kumaraswamy on Wednesday as well.

‘Ready to sleep on road’, says Kumaraswamy before spending night in school

‘This is how our CM @hd_kumaraswamy reacted when asked for basic amenities. Is he CM for the entire state or only for JDS voters?’ Joshi had written on Twitter.

The employees of the power plant were protesting to push for their demands, including the unfulfilled ‘promise’ of jobs in exchange for the land taken over for the power project.

‘I will ask the police to conduct a lathi charge. You vote for Modi but expect me to solve your problems,’ he told the employees.

The BJP, which swept the April-May Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka and won 25 out of 28 seats in the state, had condemned the CM’s behaviour.