Retired IAS officer and former advisor to the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government, P.V. Ramesh, has been removed from his position at Megha Engineering Infrastructure Limited (MEIL), where he had served as an advisor for the past few years.
Ramesh's departure occurred shortly after he made controversial comments about the Andhra Pradesh government, accusing it of engaging in a witch-hunt against Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu in the Rs 371 crore skill development corporation scam.
On Tuesday, the retired IAS officer submitted his resignation, citing personal reasons.
He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work with MEIL and thanked the company for its generosity. Ramesh also offered his continued assistance, stating that he would be available for any service they might require.
However, sources suggest that the company's management requested Ramesh's resignation because it did not want any of its officers to take a political stance. Reportedly, he was instructed not to report to duty starting Tuesday.
During an interview with a television channel, Ramesh, who previously served as Principal Secretary of the Finance Department in the AP government during Naidu's regime, expressed surprise that the CID had filed a case against Naidu based on his statement in the case.
Ramesh questioned the absence of the then managing director (Premchandra Reddy) and secretary (Ajeya Kallam) from the proceedings, asserting that Naidu had only made policy decisions.
In response to Ramesh's statements, CID authorities hinted at taking stringent action against him for attempting to influence the ongoing investigation and inquiry, considering it a contempt of court while the case was still under court purview.
Furthermore, the CID alleges that Ramesh was also involved in the scam, as he disregarded the suggestion made by a subordinate to release the Rs 371 crore in a phased manner, instead opting to release the entire amount at once.
Sources indicate that Ramesh is a staunch supporter of the TDP and is pursuing a TDP ticket for his brother to contest the Amalapuram assembly seat.
