Andhra top cop shunted out as Jagan Reddy takes charge as CM
Amaravati: On his first day in office as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Y S Jaganmohan Reddy Thursday night shunted out state Director General of Police R P Thakur, very much on expected lines.
Damodar Goutam Sawang, Thakur's 1986 batch mate, has been given full additional charge as the new DGP (Head of Police Force) and is eventually expected to take regular charge as the state police chief.
Anti-Corruption Bureau DG A B Venkateswara Rao (1989 batch) has also been removed and asked to report to the General Administration Department.
Both Thakur and Rao were on the "hit list" of the YSR Congress for some time now, as they were perceived to be close to the previous Telugu Desam Party government.
The YSRC, when in opposition, filed many complaints with the ECI and other authorities against the two controversial IPS officers.
Thakur has been posted to the nondescript Printing and Stationery Department as Commissioner. The incumbent there, T A Tripathi, has been asked to report to the GAD, according to an order issued by the Chief Secretary L V Subrahmanyam.
Kumar Viswajeet, currently Additional DG (Intelligence), has been given full additional charge as DG, ACB, as per the Chief Secretary's order.
In another crucial appointment, 1992 batch IAS officer Shamsher Singh Rawat has been made Principal Finance Secretary, a post that had been lying vacant for a long time.
Sending a clear signal that he is serious about bringing in good administration, the chief minister appointed 2000 batch IAS officer Solomon Arokia Raj as his Secretary. Solomon is seen as an efficient and upright officer.
K Dhananjaya Reddy (2006 batch) has been posted as Additional Secretary to CM. Reddy is expected to visit the state Secretariat on Friday and continue the bureaucratic rejig, official sources said.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
