Krishna Rao defends social media posts

​Hyderabad: Former chief secretary and former chairman of Andhra Pradesh Brahmin Corporation IYR Krishna Rao strongly defended his posts on social media.

At a press conference, here on Tuesday, Rao said, “I don’t find anything wrong in my comments or sharing of some posts. It is my fundamental duty to express my views and they have nothing to do with my functioning as the chairman of Brahmin Welfare Corporation.”

On the allegations that he had benefitted some people from the YSR Congress, Rao said he strictly went by the merits of the applicants in extending benefits. “If the Chief Minister thought I should have behaved like a TDP nominee, I am sorry, I will never become one,” he said.

Reacting to his removal from the post of Andhra Pradesh Brahmin Corporation chairman, Rao said the government did not ask for clarification on his Facebook posts. “If I was asked, I would have clarified to the government.

I tried to meet the Chief Minister during the last six months but could not get an appointment. I shared three to four posts on my Facebook account. I would have clarified if someone had asked clarification,” Krishna Rao stated.

He said social media was meant for free expression of ideas and he failed to understand if we were living in a democratic set up or a fascist set up. Rao had posted comments on his Facebook page, questioning the government’s decision to grant entertainment tax exemption to the Telugu film – Gautami Putra Satakarni, in which Naidu’s brother-in-law Nandamuri Balakrishna was the lead character and also allowing the distributors of Baahubali-2 to screen more shows in theatres and increase the ticket prices.

He also questioned the appointment of a north Indian official on the post of executive officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.

When asked if he had invited the YSRC MLAs to one of his meetings, he said that it was not he who sends the invites. “It is the district coordinators who send invite and all the coordinators are TDP activists,” he asserted.

Regarding his visit to BJP meeting in Visakhapatnam, Krishna Rao said that he was asked to come by endowments minister Manikyala Rao to discuss certain issues pertaining to choultries. He clarified that he has no intention to contest any direct election. “I don’t have the financial backing or political backing to contest any election,” he said.

In reply to another question as to what prompted him to meet YSRC MLA, Rao shot back saying there cannot be double standards. “There is nothing wrong if the Chief Minister meets Lagadapati Rajagopal but I should not meet YSRC MLA,” he questioned.

He said he had met him in his individual capacity. In a rebuttal to Rao’s claims that he had done no wrong, advisor to government Parakala Prabhakar at a separate press conference said Rao was sacked following his open criticism of the government.

Prabhakar said that the former chief secretary has been held in high respect by the government but it was never expected that he would talk in such a manner. Dismissing allegations that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has not given appointment to Krishna Rao for the last six months, he said that Rao had met CM in March and May.