LK Atheeq resigns as Siddaramaiah’s additional chief secretary

Bengaluru: In a sudden development, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s Additional Chief Secretary LK Atheeq resigned from his position on Wednesday.

1994-batch IAS officer Anjum Parwez, who is currently the additional chief secretary at the rural development & panchayat raj (RDPR) department, is likely to replace Atheeq in the chief minister’s office.

Atheeq will continue to hold the position of chairperson at the Bengaluru Business Corridor (BBC) Ltd, a special purpose vehicle implementing what was earlier known as the Peripheral Ring Road project.

Widely considered as Siddaramaiah’s consigliere in the administration, Atheeq decided to resign to spend time with his family before returning to public life. Atheeq also wants to use this break to focus on personal hobbies like motorcycling and poetry.

Atheeq has translated Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poems into Kannada. He also translated Kuvempu’s poem Aniketana from Kannada to English. As a biker, Atheeq is often seen riding his Triumph Bonneville Bobber. And, for a brief while, he rode a 1942-made BSA motorcycle, the one used in the iconic Bollywood film Sholay, thanks to his friend who lent it.

A 1991-batch IAS officer, Atheeq superannuated on January 31 this year as the chief minister’s additional chief secretary. However, Siddaramaiah retained Atheeq as his additional chief secretary on contract basis, making it an unprecedented appointment.