The ongoing internal squabbles within the bureaucracy of YSR Congress party Government in Andhra Pradesh headed by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy led to the abrupt transfer of Chief Secretary LV Subramanyam on Monday.
Subramanyam was shunted out of his post by the same IAS officer Praveen Prakash, Principal Secretary (Political) in the Chief Minister’s office (CMO), against whom he had issued a show cause notice three days ago.
This is for the first time in the history of Telugu States or any State that a CS has been transferred abruptly. Normally, senior IAS officers towards the fag end of their career are appointed as CS and they retire from the civil services as CS.
Subramanyam, who is still left with five moths service before he retires, was transferred as director general of AP Human Resources Development Institute at Bapatla in Guntur district, an insignificant post for his stature.
He was asked to hand over the charge of chief secretary to another senior IAS officer Neerabh Kumar Prasad, chief commissioner of land administration. A 1983-batch IAS officer, Subramanyam is the senior most IAS officer in the State. He was ignored by the previous TDP Government headed by N Chandrababu Naidu in the appointment as chief secretary. Naidu preferred Anil Kumar Punetha as the CS.
Interestingly, Subramanyam was appointed as chief secretary by the Election Commission of India just a week before the Lok Sabha elections in April. He was allowed by Jagan to work as the chief secretary because of his seniority.