Former AP Chief Secretary who criticised Chandrababu Naidu sacked from post

IYR Krishna Rao who retired after serving as Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh was made the Chairperson of Andhra Pradesh Brahmin Welfare Corporation

Making comments against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's government proved costly for a former bureaucrat. Former Chief Secretary IYR Krishna Rao was, on Tuesday, sacked as Chairperson of a government committee for criticising the government on social media.

The bureaucrat came under fire for commenting on Naidu government on Facebook as well as sharing certain posts written by others criticising decisions taken by the Telugu Desam Party government. Rao who was called to meet the Chief Minister in Amaravati to explain his social media posts was sacked soon after the meeting.

Chandrababu Naidu government had appointed him as the chairperson of the AP Brahmin Welfare Corporation after he retired as the first chief secretary of the state post bifurcation. The Corporation was constituted to help economically weaker Brahmins. Under Rao's leadership, the committee had taken up several welfare programs for the welfare of poor people from upper castes.

Social media posts spell trouble for bureaucrat

The bureaucrat had posted comments questioning the government's decision to grant entertainment tax exemption to a Telugu film in which Naidu's brother-in-law Nandamuri Balakrishna was the lead character. He questioned the manner in which the distributors of Baahubali-2 were allowed to screen more shows in theatres and increase the ticket prices. Rao had commented on the government for arresting and filing cases against social media activist Inturi Ravi Kiran for posting satirical cartoons against the chief minister and his son Nara Lokesh.

Rao, however, defending his actions and said that he had not done anything wrong. "I don't find anything wrong in my comments or sharing of some postings. In my view, it is my fundamental duty to express my views and they have nothing to do with my functioning as the chairman of Brahmin welfare corporation. If the chief minister thought I should have behaved like a TDP nominee, I am sorry, I would never become one," he said.

While it seemed like the former bureaucrat was fired for his social media posts, many from the party believe that his manner of favouring YSR Congress angered many leaders of the TDP. Complaints were also raised against the officer after it was learnt that benefits of various welfare schemes being implemented by the corporation were not reaching the rightful beneficiaries.

OneIndia News