Santosh Lad goes soft on second visit to KIMS

Infrastructure development and information minister Santosh Lad has apparently expressed regret for his Saturday’s outburst at Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Hubli.Lad, who is also the Dharwad district in-charge minister, lambasted the KIMS staff—including its director, Vasantha Kamat — in full public view and the presence of media. His strong-worded comments peeved Kamat so much that she has stayed away from the hospital since Saturday and has been reportedly mulling on resigning.Rumour has it that Lad was misled by Congress workers whose contracts with the KIMS were discontinued. Reportedly, the miffed Congress workers fed wrong information about Kamat to Lad. The doctors working at KIMS see the minister’s Saturday outburst as a political game to dislodge Kamat from the director’s position, with senior doctors-cum-officials Shivanand Doddamani and Kaladagi vying for her post. A specialist said it was unfortunate that the hospital’s staff was being targeted over such off-screen politics.Meanwhile, Lad reportedly repented losing his cool on Saturday. He visited the KIMS on Sunday too and spoke in a soft tone while addressing the staff.