"Power Games and Power Scams: IAS Officers at the Heart of AP Politics"
An IAS officer is supposed to be just that – an IAS officer. But in Andhra Pradesh politics, things work in strange ways. Some officers are labeled as "Jagan's IAS officers", while others are called "Chandrababu's IAS officers". The main reason behind this is the perception that certain IAS officers align closely with whoever is in power. Some officers are even accused of doing whatever the ruling government says, and are said to benefit significantly as a result. One notable case during the previous YSRCP regime was that of IAS officer Dhanunjay Reddy, who is now jailed in connection with the liquor scam. It is said that he wielded unmatched power during that time. Even some YSRCP leaders and MLAs have openly stated this.
Regardless of how senior a leader was, if they wanted to meet Jagan, they were typically directed to "go meet Dhanunjay Reddy". This was an open secret in the YSRCP. That was the story during Jagan’s time in power. After the state bifurcation, when Chandrababu Naidu first became Chief Minister, although Dhanunjay Reddy was not at the same level, even senior IAS officer Satish Chandra faced similar criticism for allegedly meddling in political affairs and managing contracts. Notably, leaders from Kadapa district openly named him during that time. After Dhanunjay Reddy’s arrest in the liquor scam and subsequent imprisonment, a major public discussion emerged: those who blindly followed Jagan’s directives are now in trouble. However, many note that this hasn’t happened to everyone.
For example, many are citing the case of current Chief Secretary (CS) K. Vijayanand. After the coalition government took charge, CM Chandrababu Naidu started releasing a series of white papers, the most important among them being on electricity. The paper claimed that Jagan’s decisions during his five-year rule ruined the power sector, causing losses over ₹1 lakh crore. This was not the only issue. While TDP was in opposition, they had criticized the SECI agreement, saying it would burden the people of Andhra Pradesh with burden of ₹1 lakh crore. They even took the matter to court. Ironically, the same agreement, which TDP now calls damaging, was once praised by Vijay Anand – the current CS – during Jagan’s tenure as a “trendsetter.” He had proudly stated back then that Andhra Pradesh was the first in the country to sign such an agreement with SECI and described it as part of Jagan Mohan Reddy’s vision to provide free electricity to farmers for 30 years.
Further, during Jagan’s tenure, the company Shirdi Sai Electricals was allegedly awarded projects worth over ₹1 lakh crore in a very short span. TDP leaders criticized this and filed cases in court, claiming that the company was given excessive rates in various projects including the smart meters project and transformer purchases, resulting in hundreds of crores in undue benefit. The most critical point is this: all the power sector-related allegations that TDP is making today were during a time when K. Vijayanand was the Special Chief Secretary of the energy department. When Jagan came to power, he canceled multiple Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), which caused a national stir. Sources from the energy department say Vijay Anand played a key role in the settlements that followed. Despite all these serious allegations by TDP during Jagan’s rule, the same K. Vijayanand has been entrusted with both the Chief Secretary post and the energy department’s top post by the current TDP-led coalition government.
In the past, Chief Secretaries were rarely given charge of specific departments. But now, the trend seems to be changing. Those in power and political leaders are adjusting administrative posts to suit their needs. In simple terms, TDP leaders are now claiming that the scams in the power sector were far bigger than the ₹3,500 crore liquor scam currently being probed by the coalition government. Since K. Vijayanand held key responsibilities in that period and is now both Chief Secretary and head of the energy department, a senior minister has openly questioned: “Whose IAS officer is he, really?” Some IAS officers believe that even in handling scams, a selective model is being followed.
