Agitated employees of Yermarus Thermal Power Station blocked HD Kumaraswamy's convoy

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi today slammed Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and said he had "lost his mental balance" after the latter lashed out at workers of Yermarus Thermal Power staging a protest over wages in Raichur.

"The people of Karnataka didn't vote for Mr Kumaraswamy to become the chief minister (CM). Then why is he the CM? He is holding the position with an unhealthy alliance with Congress. Now, he has lost his mental balance particularly after his son's defeat in the recent polls," Karnataka lawmaker said.

On Wednesday, agitated employees of the Yermarus Thermal Power Station had shouted "shame shame" and blocked the Chief Minister's convoy for a short while, urging him to fulfill their longJoshi further said, "There are many leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who had to face defeats in various polls in the past, however, we have examined the reasons and moved past it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has explained everything regarding EVMs in the Rajya Sabha for the people."

"Instead of blaming EVMs for their debacle, the opposition should focus on the reasons why they had to face such a defeat. Blaming EVMs will not help them anyway," he added.

Various opposition parties have alleged that EVMs were manipulated during the recently held Lok Sabha elections and demanded that the country should return to ballot papers.

The BJP won swept the Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, winning 25 out of the 28 seats in the state.