Telangana politics took an unexpected turn with Siddipet collector P Venkatarami Reddy opting for voluntary retirement as he is likely to join the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). The 2007 batch promotee IAS officer tendered his resignation in the Secretariat at BRK Bhavan on Monday, which was reportedly approved immediately by Chief Secretary M Somesh Kumar.
Reddy, a native of Odlea in the Peddapalli district, is likely to be nominated as the Member of Telangana State Legislative Council (MLC).
Who is Venkatarami Reddy?
Venkatarami Reddy is a 1996 batch Group I officer and was conferred with Indian Administrative Services in 2007. He was posted in the erstwhile Medak district since Telangana state was formed in 2014. He worked closely with CM K Chandrashekar Rao and Finance Minister T Harish Rao. He also worked as Collector of Rajanna Sircilla district in 2018.
Venkatarami Reddy sparked controversy in June when he touched the feet of CM Rao at an official event. His actions triggered a row with the official drawing the public ire and criticism from the opposition. The collector, however, defended himself saying KCR is a fatherly figure to him.
In March, Telangana High Court cracked the whip on bureaucrats for contempt in land acquisition cases. The court had awarded three months jail for Siddipet district collector P. Venkatarami Reddy and imposed a fine of Rs 2,000, in addition to paying Rs 25,000 to farmers towards legal costs.
