Hassan, Sept. 20 -- A comment by Minister K.M. Shivalinge Gowda during a Praja Seva programme at Sakleshpur sparked a confrontation with a member of the audience after the latter questioned the need for citizens to pay or honour government officials for getting their work done.

Addressing the gathering at the Sakleshpur tahsildar's office on Saturday Shivalinge Gowda said it was the duty of people to respectfully acknowledge officials who helped them complete their work. At the same time, he said forcibly taking money from people was not proper.

The statement prompted a person in the audience to ask why citizens should give money to government officials when they were already receiving salaries. The question led to a heated exchange at ...