Is Everything Well with CM? Minister George Addresses Resignation Rumors
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Bengaluru, Jan 29 (NationPress) In response to circulating rumors regarding Karnataka Energy Minister K.J. George's alleged resignation stemming from supposed meddling by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's son, Congress MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah, the Minister affirmed that all is well with the Chief Minister and insisted that he has no intention of resigning.
During a session in the Karnataka Assembly on Thursday, Minister George made this clarification after senior BJP MLA V. Sunil Kumar brought up the topic following the Question Hour.
State BJP General Secretary Sunil Kumar stated, “There are rumors that Minister George has submitted his resignation due to interference from Congress MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah, the son of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. This is the Assembly session, and he should clarify this matter.”
In response, Minister George remarked, “The BJP leader claims to have learned about this through media reports. Have I made any statement regarding this? There is absolutely no question of resigning.”
“There is no such situation. We have full confidence in our Chief Minister. Just yesterday, we attended the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting together. This news is far from accurate. I want to address these television channels — previously, news was broadcast three times daily; now they want breaking news every hour, leading them to create stories,” he added.
“I have not submitted my resignation as suggested by the media. The notion is unfounded. We offer our complete support to the Chief Minister,” Minister George asserted.
Sources indicated that about a week ago, Minister George had met with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his Kaveri residence and expressed his dissatisfaction regarding the directive to initiate disciplinary actions against senior IAS officer Pankaj Kumar Pandey.
The Minister allegedly mentioned that he would resign if any actions were taken against Pankaj Kumar, who is the Managing Director of Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL). Following this discussion about resignation, the Chief Minister is reported to have calmed him down and sent him back.
It is claimed that multiple complaints had been lodged against Pankaj Kumar Pandey, who holds dual responsibilities as KPTCL Managing Director and Principal Secretary (e-Governance) to the Karnataka government. In this context, the Chief Minister's Office had summoned him for a meeting to provide an explanation.
However, despite formal communication from the CMO, Pankaj Kumar Pandey allegedly disregarded the summons and did not meet the Chief Minister.
Taking a serious view of the senior officer's actions, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajaneesh issued a show-cause notice to Pankaj Kumar Pandey, mandating that a written explanation be submitted on the very day the notice was delivered.
Sources suggest that Minister George was displeased with the government's issuance of this notice and the unilateral actions taken without informing him.
Moreover, it is alleged that all of this transpired under the influence of Yathindra Siddaramaiah.