K T Rama Rao says Congress forcing bureaucrats into corruption in Telangana

The voluntary retirement of senior IAS officer Syed Ali Murtaza Rizvi has triggered a political row in Telangana, with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) alleging that bureaucrats are being pressured by the government to engage in corrupt practices.

Rizvi, a 1999-batch IAS officer with nearly ten years of service remaining, opted for voluntary retirement effective October 31, and the state government has accepted his request. The reasons for his decision have not been disclosed. Rizvi currently serves as Principal Secretary, Revenue (Prohibition and Excise), and could not be reached for comment.

BRS alleges political interference

At a press conference, BRS Working President K. T. Rama Rao claimed that IAS and IPS officers were being forced to take voluntary retirement due to pressure to commit wrongful acts. “Rizvi refused to carry out orders by Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao. The minister also wrote a letter to the government not to accept his resignation,” Rao alleged.

Allegations against the excise department

A letter purportedly written by Minister Krishna Rao to the Chief Secretary accused Rizvi of deliberately delaying a tendering process for high-security holograms intended for liquor bottles. The issue has added to the ongoing debate over political influence and administrative autonomy within the Telangana bureaucracy.

(With inputs from PTI)