TDP General Secretary and former Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao has accused the government of appointing IAS officers with dubious credentials in blatant violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
Addressing the media at the party office on May 25, Umamaheswara Rao questioned why the notification of these appointments was kept secret if due procedure was followed. He claimed that the credentials of the officers were unverified and that the process was being rushed for reasons that Chief Secretary K.S. Jawahar Reddy must explain.
The list of officers was sent to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) just after the general elections, with results set to be declared on June 4. Umamaheswara Rao alleged that these officers were shortlisted without the knowledge of the relevant Heads of Departments and in violation of certain service rules. He pointed out that out of the 49 officers on the list, 10 were either closely related to leaders of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) or had vested interests. He demanded that the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the UPSC take serious action.
Umamaheswara Rao also mentioned that Macherla MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy’s aggressive behavior at a polling station on May 13 would not have occurred without the support of local officers close to him, and he insisted on stern action against the ruling party leader.