Telangana IAS Officer’s Voluntary Retirement Sparks Row; KT Rama Rao Alleges Bureaucrat Harassment

The voluntary retirement of senior IAS officer Syed Ali Murtaza Rizvi has ignited a fierce political clash in Telangana, with the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) accusing the ruling Congress government of pressuring bureaucrats into corrupt practices, forcing them to seek early exits. Rizvi, a 1999-batch officer with roughly a decade of service remaining, submitted his VRS application effective October 31, which the state swiftly approved. While official reasons remain undisclosed, the episode underscores deepening tensions between the Revanth Reddy administration and career civil servants amid ongoing scrutiny of governance in a state reeling from fiscal strains post-2023 bifurcation.

BRS Working President KT Rama Rao, addressing a press conference, lambasted the government for fostering an environment of coercion. He claimed Rizvi, currently Principal Secretary in the Revenue (Prohibition & Excise) department, baulked at executing directives from Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, precipitating the fallout. "IAS and IPS officers are opting for VRS because they are being pressured to commit wrongful acts," Rama Rao alleged, portraying Rizvi as a whistleblower unwilling to compromise integrity. Efforts to reach Rizvi for comment were unsuccessful, leaving his side of the story unverified as the controversy brews.

Central to the dispute is a purported letter from Krishna Rao to Chief Secretary A. Santhi Kumari, accusing Rizvi of sabotaging a tender process for high-security holograms on liquor bottles—a measure aimed at curbing illicit trade in a sector generating over Rs 35,000 crore annually for the state exchequer. Rama Rao countered that the minister's intervention extended to urging the government to reject Rizvi's resignation, implying retaliation against perceived insubordination. This narrative fits a pattern: since Congress assumed power in December 2023, at least five senior officers have taken VRS, citing "personal reasons", fuelling whispers of a purge to install pliable administrators in key posts like excise and revenue, where malpractices have historically plagued Telangana's beleaguered treasury.

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The row amplifies broader concerns over bureaucratic autonomy in India's federal structure, where chief ministers wield significant influence over postings via the cadre allocation system. Rama Rao's outburst, leveraging his party's ousted status, positions BRS as a defender of ethical governance, potentially rallying disillusioned officials ahead of local polls. Conversely, the government risks reputational damage if probes substantiate coercion claims, echoing national scandals like the 2019 IAS suspensions in Uttar Pradesh. As Telangana navigates debt exceeding Rs 3 lakh crore, transparency in excise reforms—vital for revenue amid subsidy promises—hangs in balance, with Rizvi's exit serving as a flashpoint for accountability debates in Hyderabad's corridors of power.

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