Siddipet District Collector P Venkatrama Reddy, has resigned as an IAS officer to join the ruling TRS party. A 2007 batch IAS officer, Venkatrama Reddy submitted his resignation to Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar on Monday, November 15 afternoon. Amidst reports that he is likely to secure a nomination in the upcoming MLC polls, Venkatrama Reddy heaped praises on Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for his efforts in ushering development in Telangana. “As a son of Telangana, since the formation of the state, I have been able to serve as a Telangana officer. For nearly 7 years, I worked in Siddipet district … and got to observe CM KCR’s work, thoughts and vision closely as the District Collector of Siddipet. In order to participate more closely in the state’s development, I wanted to be with KCR and want to join their party. That's why I resigned today,” he told the media, adding that he will take up whatever responsibility he is given by KCR.
The IAS officer was also in the news a few months ago for displaying sycophancy towards CM KCR by touching his feet to seek blessings, when the latter was inaugurated a newly constructed collectorate at Siddipet. After the incident drew ire from the public and opposition leaders, Venkatrama Reddy, defended himself by saying KCR is a fatherly figure to him. "It is part of Telangana's culture to take blessings of elders during auspicious occasions," he said in a statement.
Recently, the Telangana High Court came down heavily on Venkatrama Reddy after a video of him threatening seed dealers and farmers against growing paddy in the district had surfaced. In the video, he went on to say that even the Supreme Court or High Court would not be able to reopen their shops once he shut them down. Asking if the state had enlisted paddy under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) list, the bench of Justice T Vinod Kumar recommended criminal contempt proceedings against the IAS officer. The court also questioned if Venkatrama Reddy thought that he was above the law.
Venkatrama Reddy’s threats were in line with the TRS government's stand of urging farmers to shift to alternate crops besides paddy, as the Food Corporation of India has decided not to procure paddy.