Uttarkhand BJP MLAs public spat resolved with CM Rawat's intervention

A public spat between two MLAs of the ruling BJP in Uttarakhand, in which one challenged the other to a wrestling bout, was resolved Thursday with the intervention of Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. BJP MLA from Khanpur Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion and party legislator from Jhabreda Desraj Karnawal, who had been inveighing against each other in public, met the chief minister at his official residence in the presence of Pradesh BJP general secretary Naresh Bansal, said Pradesh party media in-charge, Devendra Bhasin.

The chief minister advised the two legislators to resolve their differences amicably and never do anything which goes against party discipline, Bhasin said. The spat had broken out between the two MLAs when Karnawal cast doubts over Champion's educational and sports credentials. Champion, who claims to be a wrestler, challenged Karnawal to a wrestling bout at a stadium in Roorkee after he learnt that the Jhabreda MLA had termed his educational degrees and achievements in the field of sports as "fake". However, when Champion arrived at the stadium for the wrestling bout, Karnawal did not show up. Karnawal said it was an era of guns and only someone who has gone off his head can talk about wrestling as a method to resolve an issue.

(With inputs from agencies.)