Surprising as it might sound, retired Director General of Police of Telangana M Mahender Reddy, who was considered to be a hot favourite of former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, was chosen by present Congress chief minister A Revanth Reddy for the prestigious post of chairman of Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC).
Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Thursday appointed Mahender Reddy as the new chairman of TSPSC on the recommendation of Revanth Reddy. Along with him, she also appointed five others as the TSPSC members on the board.
But what is surprising is the choice of Mahender Reddy. When he was the DGP, Revanth Reddy used to make a lot of allegations against him.
Before December 2018 elections, Revanth, who was then TPCC working president, stopped his campaigning tours in other districts, alleging that KCR with the support of Mahender Reddy was planning to eliminate him and to put the blame on Naxals.
“KCR and DGP Mahender Reddy have deployed an expert officer who had dealt with the Naxals to eliminate me and to blame this on the ultras. After Mahender Reddy became the DGP, the attacks on my people have increased. Now the situation appears like I will be the next target,” he said.
In 2022, too, Revanth made serious allegations against Mahender Reddy, saying he was forcibly sent on leave. Mahender Reddy issued a statement saying he had gone on medical leave, as he suffered a fracture.
“Being the head of a national party, it is not proper on the part of Revanth Reddy to make false statements without verifying the facts. Such statements would demoralise the confidence of the police department,” the former DGP said.
Mahender Reddy, an IPS officer of 1986 batch, retired in December 2022 on attaining the age of superannuation. Now, the same officer has been picked up by Revanth Reddy as the TSPSC chairman for unknown reasons.
The former DGP will serve as the TSPSC chairman for a period of 11 months as the maximum age limit for the chairman is 62 years.
Meanwhile, the governor also approved the names of two candidates recommended by the state government for the appointment of members of state legislative council (MLCs) under governor’s quota.
They include: former Osmania University professor and Telangana protagonist M Kodandaram and senior journalist Amer Ali Khan, son of Zahed Ali Khan, managing director of prominent Urdu daily Siasat.
