Bengaluru stampede: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah's political secretary K Govindaraju sacked; here's what happened
BENGALURU: K Govindaraju has been relieved from his duties as the Political Secretary to
Karnataka
chief minister Siddaramaiah with immediate effect on Friday, according to a notification issued by the state government.
Govindaraju, a close aide of Siddaramaiah and a prominent political figure in the state, had been serving in the post since the formation of the current Congress government.
Earlier in the day, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah's political adviser and MLC, K Govindaraju, denied media reports claiming he had advised the chief minister against organizing a victory parade for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) players from the airport to Vidhana Soudha.
Govindaraju dismissed the reports as baseless and clarified that he had made no such suggestion regarding the celebratory event.
"My words were misinterpreted. Who am I to advise the chief minister on this matter?" Govindaraju said, clarifying that he had no role in decisions related to the cricket celebration.
He further distanced himself from the controversy by stating, "I would be the last person to advise anything on cricket, since I head the Karnataka Olympic Association."
Govindaraju's clarification comes in the wake of mounting criticism over the handling of the IPL victory celebrations in Bengaluru, where a stampede during the event claimed 11 lives.
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