As many as 106 government employees in Telangana’s Siddipet district were suspended on Monday, April 8 for attending a meeting of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party in violation of the Model Code of Conduct. The meeting was reportedly called by former IAS officer and present MLC P Venkatarami Reddy, who is the BRS candidate for the Medak parliamentary constituency, and BRS leader Mareddy Ravinder Reddy. Venkatarami Reddy was formerly the Collector of Siddipet district. He made news in 2021 for touching then Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s feet at an official event. A few months later, he quit the administrative services and later joined the BRS.
The action against the government employees was taken after former BJP MLA and party candidate for Medak M Raghunandan Rao complained to the Assistant Returning Officer and Revenue Divisional Officer that District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) staff members were attending a BRS meeting in connection with the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and that money was also being distributed.
Siddipet District Election Officer and Collector M Manu Choudary suspended 106 staff members of DRDA Siddipet (MGNREGS & SERP). According to a notice issued by the Collector, the staff members attended the BRS meeting at Reddy Function Hall in Siddipet within the Medak parliamentary constituency on April 7 in violation of MCC.
A flying squad team visited the venue after Raghunandan Rao’s complaint and found 10-15 persons still in the meeting. It collected CCTV footage from the venue and found that the BRS had organised the meeting without obtaining permission. A police complaint was also lodged against the two BRS leaders.
Based on the CCTV footage, the election authorities identified 40 DRDA employees who attended the meeting. Later, another 66 employees were identified. All 106 staff members were suspended with immediate effect.
With inputs from IANS