Hyderabad: With AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu repeatedly referring to him as a “co-accused with Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy”, the state’s top bureaucrat, Mr L.V. Subrahmanyam, is mulling filing a defamation case against him to stop him from further maligning his image.
“He is considering it,” an official said.
Mr Naidu, who was in New Delhi on Saturday, submitted a petition to the Election Commission in which he once again made the remarks. In his petition, Mr Naidu said: “In a deeply disturbing development, the Chief Secretary of the state (A.C. Punetha) was not only unceremoniously removed, but his replacement was done without even consulting the state government. The Election Commission has posted an officer, who is a co-accused in one of the criminal cases against the YSR Congress party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy”
“Yesterday at the press conference the Chief Minister made the remark (of Mr Subrahmanyam being the co-accused) for the first time. Today, he has given it in writing to the Election Commission. Now, we have proof,” an IAS officer said, adding that politicians should keep bureaucrats away from their political fights.
“Targeting Subrahmanyam, who has an impeccable track record, is unwarranted, unnecessary and uncalled for,” the bureaucrat said adding that many in their fraternity in Telangana had the same advice for him.
Another official said though Mr Naidu was fully aware that no evidence of any wrongdoing was found against Mr Subrahmanyam, who he said always “plays with a straight bat'', the Chief Minister was still levelling the allegations to target Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy and the EC.
“Politicians may not be aware but the ECI does a lot of home work before appointing officers to key posts during elections,” fumed another IAS official.
