CM Siddaramaiah drops MLC Govindaraj as political secretary

Bengaluru: Congress MLC K Govindaraj was sacked from the post of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's political secretary on Friday, making him the first political head to roll in the aftermath of the June 4 stampede that killed 11 people. 

Siddaramaiah wrote to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh asking her to issue an order relieving Govindaraj. Accordingly, a notification was issued withdrawing Govindaraj's appointment as the CM's political secretary. The notification does not mention any reason for removing him from the post. 

Govindaraj was not available for comments. 

Speculation is rife that the Congress high command asked Siddaramaiah to drop Govindaraj, who was appointed as his political secretary exactly two years ago — in June 2023. 

It is said that Govindaraj pushed for the felicitation of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the grand steps of the Vidhana Soudha. 

In a veiled reference to Govindaraj, Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy claimed that the MLC mounted pressure on now-suspended Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda to arrange for the Vidhana Soudha event. 

"There is a person who is with the CM all the time. It is one Govinda, Govinda...We know what his work is. He called the police commissioner and asked him to give permission and arrange for a felicitation on the grand steps of the Vidhana Soudha. This was around 7.30 am (on June 4). The commissioner told him that all police personnel were tired after an all-night duty and that there should be only one event at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. This person then went to the CM, who then directed the commissioner to follow orders," Kumaraswamy said. 

Seen as a close aide of Siddaramaiah, Govindaraj is a known name in the field of sports administration. He is the president of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia, the first Indian to hold the position. He is also the president of the Karnataka Olympic Association.