Former chief secretary IYR Krishna Rao was found playing for the Bharatiya Janata Party. The man, who had been targeting the ruling Telugu Desam Party ever since he was removed as chairman of the AP Brahmin Corporation a year and a half ago, was found speaking for the BJP and the Central government.
He also saw the reason for the TDP to break up ties with the BJP was not the denial of special category status but the refusal of the BJP to increase the number of Assembly seats from 175 to 225. He addressed a meeting of the Navyandhra Intellectuals Forum at Guntur on Sunday, where he was found hitting at the TDP and backing the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, much to the surprise of the gathering.
The former chief secretary had given a clean chit to the Narendra Modi’s dispensation saying that the Centre was implementing the promises and provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act 2014 in a phased manner and the claims of the TDP and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu were far from reality.
The former bureaucrat explained that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 22,113 crore to fill the revenue deficit of the State. He said that special package given to AP has all special status benefits. He was all praise for the Centre for starting institutes of national repute within two years of bifurcation.
Keeping the statistics that he had given aside, the statement he made in favour of the BJP raises doubts whether this retired IAS officer is nurturing plans to join the BJP in AP. Though it was initially thought that Krishna Rao would align with the Opposition YSR Congress, his fresh statements and positive talk for the BJP have given scope for the political corridors to suspect his moves towards the BJP.
