Hyderabad:
Andhra Pradesh Minister for Handlooms and Textiles P. Shankar Rao publicly slapped his personal assistant Friday when the latter failed to attend to the minister's mobile phone when it rang during a meeting.
Venkatesh was slapped in the presence of officials and media persons at Bobbili town in Vijayanagaram district.
The minister was speaking at a meeting with officials during a visit to the industrial growth centre in the town. He was upset when his mobile rang and his support staff was not available to attend to it.
That was when Venkatesh rushed in. Rao slapped him on the face.
The minister's action evoked strong condemnation from all quarters. The opposition and government employees' associations demanded that Rao should apologise.
The minister, known for his short temper, had once scolded a police officer.