Secretariat empty - Fear of CBI raids

The State Secretariat on Saturday wore a different look. There was a mix of impatience, silence and curiosity in the air. The corridors of power were rife with speculations that the Central Bureau of Investigation teams would descend on the protected area. However, that did not happen. But the Secretariat staff believed that the CBI, presently investigating the alleged illegal wealth amassed by the Kadapa MP Jagan Mohan Reddy, would conduct unprecedented raids to get to the bottom of the truth.

There were also reports that a section of IAS officials met the Chief Secretary SV Prasad to express their ‘grievance’ that a swoop on a senior IAS man, BP Acharya, would demoralise their ranks and send wrong signals to the common man in a volatile situation acquired recently. The pragmatic chief secretary is understood to have limited his views/reply since he was fast approaching the superannuation deadline.

On the other side, apparently in view of heavy CBI raids on YS Jagnamohan Reddy and his business partners all over the country, most of the ministers stayed away from the Secretariat on Saturday. Several senior officials also abstained from their work.

The Telangana ministers, who had resolved to work to do away with the mounting pressure from all concerned, made no headway either, to stand by their latest decision to resume their duties as usual. The Chief Minister N Kirankumar Reddy’s tour has come as a good alibi for them. Today most of them have taken cover under the absence of Chief Minister, who is away touring Visakhapatnam.

These Telangana ministers have received a signal from the Telangana Journalists’ Association that their re-entry into the Secretariat was not well received by the Telangana protagonists and public. When contacted a reply could not be drawn on the current situation.