Reports of the Telugu Desam chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, recording his dissent at the appointment of information commissioners came as a surprise to the government.

The government is yet to receive any official intimation from Mr Naidu, but what officials find surprising is that the U-turn by the former CM took place within days of his getting two of his nominees appointed on the panel of information commissioners.

The minutes of the meeting held on January 31 clearly indicate that the meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere, the track record of the applicants was discussed in detail and that there was unanimity among the three members — Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, Deputy CM Mr Damodar Rajanarasimha, and Mr Naidu.

“It is rather shocking to see Mr Naidu airing different views a few days after he agreed to the panel,” a senior bureaucrat involved in the process said. “It is an open secret that senior police officer Mr M. Ratan and academician Ms Vijaya Nirmala were his pick,” the official added.

Sources said that the CM first made known his options with regard to six commissioners, in which the two named above did not figure at all. Then there was a proposal from Mr Naidu that the number should be increased to accommodate all sections.

Accordingly, the three member committee went through more names. Mr Naidu supported Mr Ratan and Ms Nirmala. He even observed that Mr Ratan belongs to the backward classes, has an impeccable character and hails from the Telangana region. He appreciated Ms Nirmala as a highly qualified academician.

Sources also said that the Chief Minister was informed in advance that Mr Ratan's name would be proposed by Mr Naidu, even though Mr Ratan is still in service. Those who supported Ms Nirmala's appointment approached Mr Naidu through an academician close to him.

No IAS officer was considered because the chief information commissioner, Mr Jannat Hussain, belongs to the same service.