Blrpost.com report on IAS Pankaj rocks assembly; Yatindra allegedly triggers rift between CM and K J George
Bengaluru
A report published by blrpost.com on senior IAS officer and Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) Managing Director Pankaj Kumar Pandey has triggered a political storm, with the issue reverberating in the joint session of the Karnataka Legislature on Thursday.
Also read: Chief Secretary issues notice to KPTCL MD for skipping key energy review meetings
The opposition seized upon the report (including follow up report by TV9 Kannada) to allege serious administrative interference, claiming that Energy Minister K J George had even threatened to resign over the developments linked to Pandey.
According to highly placed sources within the Congress party, the controversy has now exposed a growing rift between Chief Minister (CM) Siddaramaiah and Energy Minister George—two leaders long regarded as among the closest allies in the state’s political landscape. The reason: Alleged interference by CM’s son Yatindra Siddaramaiah in the affairs of the energy department.
George is also considered a crucial link between the CM and the party high command, making the reported strain politically significant.
Raising the issue on the floor of the House, former Energy Minister and Karkala MLA Sunil Kumar claimed that “George had offered to tender resignation from his post, citing interference by the Chief Minister’s son, Yatindra, in administrative matters.” However, George promptly dismissed the allegation in the house, asserting that no such resignation had taken place and that the claims were baseless.
Contrary to George’s public denial, top Congress sources maintained that Sunil Kumar’s assertion was “substantially true” and that the sequence of events began after Chief Secretary (CS) of Karnataka Shalini Rajaneesh issued a notice to Pandey. The notice sought an explanation for Pandey’s absence from an energy department review meeting held at the Chief Minister’s residence on January 20.
Sources alleged that Pandey did not attend the meeting on the explicit instructions of George. The sources further claimed that even before the formal meeting was scheduled, Pandey was informally summoned to the CM’s office/residence. This informal call, sources said, was made on behalf of Yatindra. Pandey reportedly skipped that meeting as well.
When Pandey was absent for the second, officially scheduled meeting, sources alleged that Yatindra instructed the CS to issue a formal notice seeking an explanation. Pandey subsequently responded to the notice. Pandey cited the health condition of his blood relative and yet another significant meeting in Delhi for his non-attendence.
The developments reportedly left Pandey deeply disturbed, prompting him to offer to resign from his position in an official meeting. In response, George allegedly told that he would step down from the energy portfolio rather than allow Pandey to be targeted, sources said.
At the heart of the controversy, according to insiders, is the alleged undue interference of Yatindra in the energy department’s tenders and contracts. Sources claimed that Yatindra, along with a section of senior IAS officers, was operating in close coordination, a situation that caused deep discomfort for George. This, the sources said, was the primary reason for George to instruct Pandey to stay away from the meetings.
Pandey also on multiple occasions maintained that he would act in connection to energy affairs only on the directions of George and not others.
The long internal turmoil is also said to have had wider bureaucratic consequences. Sources pointed out that the growing friction and persistent interference prompted several senior IAS officers—including Anil Kumar T, Hemalatha P, Ponnuraj V, Ekroop Caur, M S Srikar, Ajay Nagabhushan, and C Shikha—to opt for central deputation, signalling deep unease within the state administration.