Former Chief Secretary L V Subrahmanyam Criticizes Pawan Kalyan Over Public Accessibility

On Friday, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary L V Subrahmanyam publicly criticized Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, stating that the Jana Sena Party president remains highly inaccessible to the public. Speaking in an interview with a news channel, Subrahmanyam urged Kalyan to step out of his aura as a film star and become more reachable to ordinary citizens.

The former top bureaucrat remarked that many people feel securing an appointment with the Jana Sena chief is an extremely difficult task. He observed that a large section of the public continues to view Kalyan primarily as a film star rather than as a constitutional functionary.

Subrahmanyam shared his personal experience, revealing that he had tried to secure an appointment with Kalyan but was unsuccessful. He explained that he wanted to meet the Deputy Chief Minister to discuss public causes, charitable activities, spirituality, and other issues that benefit society, emphasizing that he had no personal interests or business motives.

According to Subrahmanyam, Kalyan should be accorded the respect due to his office as Deputy Chief Minister and allowed to discharge his official responsibilities without being constantly surrounded by fans and admirers.

Beyond his comments on Kalyan, Subrahmanyam offered a mixed assessment of the NDA coalition government’s two-year tenure in the state. While he described the overall performance of the government as satisfactory, he stressed that there is considerable scope for improvement, particularly regarding public engagement.

He suggested that elected representatives and government officials follow a structured approach while touring districts and interacting with citizens to build greater trust and goodwill. He also called upon district collectors, police officials, and lower-level government staff to improve their responsiveness.

While criticizing the lack of accessibility of some leaders, Subrahmanyam singled out Irrigation Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu for praise, describing his performance as effective. He suggested that other ministers should demonstrate a similar sense of responsibility and commitment.

To improve transparency, the former Chief Secretary suggested that the coalition government release a comprehensive white paper detailing its achievements over the past two years. He also sounded a note of caution regarding the state’s finances, warning that Andhra Pradesh could face difficulties if it fails to reduce its financial burden and adopt stricter fiscal discipline.