As Telugu Desam Party circles are confident of forming the next government in the state after June 4, the day for counting of votes, already lobbying ministerial berths are at their peak.
Apart from TDP functionaries, some names from outside the political spectrum are going around in the Social Media. Particularly, a social media campaign was initiated by some admirers of TDP suggesting that senior IPS Officer A B Venkateswara Rao should be made as the next Home Minister.
Among civil servants, he is the most harassed and victimized officer during Y S Jaganmohan Reddy’s five-year regime. Ignoring verdicts of the High Court and also the Supreme Court, besides the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), the government refused him any posting.
Most of the time he is being kept under suspension and even salary and other allowances are also not being paid all three years. Even though both the High Court and Supreme Court directed the government for payment of his salary dues, nothing happened.
Meanwhile, he is retiring on May 31. Even after two weeks of CAT directing the government to immediately reinstate him, the Chief Minister seems to be adamant and making moves to allow him to retire without joining his duty.
The government has approached the High Court challenging the CAT order and the High Court reserved for its judgement. In the history of united Andhra Pradesh, till now no othe IAS or IPS officer has been harassed like him.
However, his determination and commitment towards his service, makes him stand tall without any remark during more than 30 years of his service in successive governments. He is known for his honesty also.
Moreover, Jaganmohan Reddy government used police to harass not only TDP activists, including its chief Chandrababu Naidu, senior leaders like Atcham Naidu, Dhulipala Narendra Kumar and YCP MP Raghuramakrishnam Raju by keeping them in jails.
The government picked up some IPS officers on duty to harass TDP and other opponents of the government. Several times Chandrababu Naidu has been warning that all those who acted beyond their purview to please the government should pay heavy price after formation of TDP government.
As an IPS officer, many expect that AB Venkateswara Rao will suit to be Home Minister to streamline the department and also expose how the force was misused by the present regime. Signature campaign is going on in Social Media suggesting him as the Home Minister in the TDP government.