Karnataka power battle: Sparks fly again between CM Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar over transfer of PWD engineers | Bengaluru News

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BENGALURU: The simmering turf struggle between chief minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar spilled into the open as soon as again on Wednesday, this time over the transfer of 5 senior engineers marking the newest flashpoint in a rising sequence of power tussles between the state’s two strongest leaders. It has emerged, slightly late, that Shivakumar, who additionally holds the Water Resources portfolio, despatched a proper letter to chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh, directing her to “immediately withdraw” the transfer orders issued by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), which operates beneath the chief minister. The engineers from the Public Works Department (PWD) have been transferred on 9 May to key posts throughout the Water Resources Department, together with divisions dealing with interstate water disputes, the Neeravari irrigation tasks, the politically delicate Yettinahole mission, the Command Area Development Authority (CADA) and the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation. What triggered Shivakumar’s intervention was not simply the transfers themselves, however the method wherein they have been carried out — with out his consent. In a written notice dated 13 May, Shivakumar reminded the chief secretary that the foundational settlement between cupboard colleagues when the Congress authorities was shaped was clear: “No transfers or appointments related to my department should be made without my explicit approval.” “These transfers have been carried out without any reference to the concerned minister in charge,” Shivakumar famous, including that such selections “violate protocol and undermine ministerial authority.” Among the engineers shifted was BH Manjunath, at present posted within the police housing company, who is because of retire on 31 May. The DPAR order directed a brand new engineer to report prematurely to the submit anticipated to fall vacant. While CM Siddaramaiah has not responded to the newest directive, political circles view the sequence of occasions as yet one more chapter within the ongoing chilly struggle between the 2 leaders — every keen to say management over their administrative domains. This will not be the primary time the 2 have clashed over bureaucratic issues. Earlier disagreements have emerged over finances allocations, cupboard portfolios, and appointments to boards and companies. Though usually papered over in public statements, the unease has develop into more and more tough to hide. Observers throughout the Congress admit that the management construction in Karnataka — the place the CM and DCM are each tall leaders with chief ministerial ambitions has led to frequent friction, particularly over high-stakes departments reminiscent of Bengaluru improvement, water sources and public works. The chief secretary has but to answer Shivakumar’s directive. It stays to be seen whether or not the transfers will likely be reversed or if the confrontation prompts a recalibration of boundaries between the CM’s workplace and Shivakumar’s ministries.