CM Siddaramaiah asks ministers to tread carefully on transfer of officials

BENGALURU: Following the explosive charges made by JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy regarding alleged corruption in the transfer under the Congress government, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is larnt to have directed his ministers to be careful when it comes to transfers.

The cabinet ministers are said to be taken aback by the back-to-back claims of former chief minister Kumaraswamy. However, Siddaramaiah has advised his ministers to come up with counters to Kumaraswamy’s allegations. He also gave some suggestions to ministers and told them that false accusations against the government should not be tolerated and that they should oppose it and give befitting replies, lest the allegations dent the image of the government.

The CM advised his ministers that they should be careful when effecting transfers in every department without leading to controversy, and without circumventing rule. Efforts are being made to eclipse the success of the Congress guarantees by raking up the transfer issue, and befitting replies should be givento Kumaraswamy’s allegations, he said. The CM also said that the ministers should raise some allegations that had cropped up during Kumaraswamy’s term as CM and demand answers from him.

Meanwhile, there is also some worry within the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) over confidential matters being leaked. It is being suspected that some disgruntled officials may be involved in this and that Kumaraswamy may be using information got through them to target the government and accuse it of corruption.

It is being said that the confusion and change of officers in the CM’s office may be the cause of information leakage. It is also said that an attempt was made to retain some experienced officers and staff, but Siddaramaiah’s close aides pressured him to reshuffle the staff, including those who had worked during the BJP government. This could have led to dissent among newcomers and also the experienced and could be a reason for the leakage of confidential issues, they pointed out.