Krishna Rao Questions Chandrababu Naidu Over Firing

After the Andhra Pradesh government today issued orders removing I Y R Krishna Rao from the post of Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Brahmin Welfare Corporation, Rao asked AP Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu what mistake he had committed that necessitated his being removed from the post.

The former chief secretary said that the Chief Minister had not given him an appointment though he had been trying to meet him.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Rao refuted the charge that he was not keeping TDP MLAs updated on the corporation's activities. He opined that there was something wrong with the TDP district coordinators as they were not passing on information to the TDP MLAs. Rao said that many members of the Brahmin Welfare Corporation were TDP leaders, and that he used to given them all the information regarding the corporation.

"It was the TDP activists that were sending the messages. If the messages are not going, it means that there is something wrong in the TDP. I also refute the allegations that the beneficiaries of the loans by the Brahmin Corporation are YSRCP activists. We only selected the beneficiaries without the interference of the Janmabhoomi Committees. It is not proper to link the beneficiaries with political parties," he said.

He admitted that he went to Vizag to campaign for the BJP. "The Endowments Minister had taken a decision to hand over two dormitories to brahmins in Vizag, and this BJP minister asked me to come for campaigning. I went. I clearly gave the credit for the two dormitories to Chandrababu Naidu. I don't understand why they are questioning me now instead of questioning me when I went for the campaigning," he said.

He said that he had no intention of indulging in active politics as he had neither the money nor the strength required for politics. "I was pained at Ravi Kiran's arrest. As Facebook is meant to express our feelings, I likened Donald Trump to a Srikakulam banana. There was nothing wrong in my reaction with regard to the J C Diwakar Reddy issue, either. I also posted on tax exemption to the film Gautamiputra Satakarni. I still stick to my post. It was not fair to give tax exemption to a distorted version of history.

"Also, traditionally the government has appointed a South Indian officer as TTD Executive Officer. What was the need for the government to appoint a North Indian as the TTD EO this time? But they blamed me for that. The facts were not reaching the Andhra people as there is no neutral newspaper. There is nothing wrong if Lagadapati meets Chandrababu Naidu, but they fault me when I meet YSRCP MLA Kona Raghupathi? What is wrong in meeting the local MLA in Bapatla? I will write a book on lands in the Andhra Pradesh capital. I will reveal all the hidden issues in the book," he said.

"I would have myself resigned as Chairman of the Brahmin Welfare Corporation if they had asked me. I have seen the news in the news channels that I have been removed. I have not received any phone call from the Chief Minister or his office regarding my removal. They didn't ask me for any explanation. I have been trying to meet the Chief Minister for the last six months, but I haven't been able to get his appointment. I told the officials that my ego was hurt," he said.

"The government was giving publicity that they had given me Cabinet rank, which is far from the truth. They were also giving false publicity that I was being paid Rs 2 lakhs a month as salary. I am not taking a single paisa. But I am enjoying some facilities," he clarified.