It was my call: IT secretary on Sprinklr deal

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It Secretary M Sivasankar, the man in the eye of the storm, has owned up to taking the call on signing a deal with the US-based company Sprinklr, which is at the centre of a data breach controversy in the state. Sivasankar, who is also the private secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, told mediapersons here on Saturday that he had not sought the Law department’s guidance before signing the deal with the American company.

“It was my professional decision to enter into an agreement. I had examined all sides of the deal. There was a general consensus that a technology platform was required to handle the situation. So, I made the decision to choose that platform and take the project on board,” he said. Even as he pointed out that the Law department’s permission was not required for the purchase order, he maintained that he would rectify his mistake, if there was any. However, the IT secretary did not reveal if the chief minister was aware of the details of the deal. It may also be recalled that Sivasankar had appeared in a promotional video of the deal, which has since been removed from Sprinklr’s website.