As the Telugu Desam Party-led coalition government headed by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu completes two years in office, some surprising developments are being witnessed within the administration.
One such development is the reported emergence of a new power centre around V R Alaparthi, who currently serves as Executive Director of the Andhra Pradesh State Development Planning Society.
His sudden prominence has reportedly surprised several bureaucrats as well as TDP leaders.
Although he officially heads the APSDPS, he is said to be playing an influential role in several government initiatives, raising questions about the extent of his authority.
Sources claim that Alaparthi, whose full name is Venkateswara Rao Alaparthi, projects himself as being close to Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Minister Nara Lokesh and members of the Chief Minister’s family.
Officials allege that he frequently invokes their names while interacting with senior bureaucrats, allowing him to exercise considerable influence over administrative decisions.
He is also accused of attempting to dictate terms to some IAS officers by claiming proximity to the Chief Minister’s family.
Sources said Alaparthi is currently overseeing surveys related to poverty-eradication programmes and initiatives under the state’s P4, or Public-Private-People Partnership, programme.
He is also said to be associated with the recruitment of 175 MBA graduates, one for each Assembly constituency, to assess constituency-level development indicators.
Some officials have alleged large-scale irregularities in the recruitment process and claimed that public funds are being misused. However, these allegations have not been independently established.
According to TDP sources, Alaparthi began his professional career with the Ramoji Group, where he reportedly worked on film production-related assignments.
Some party leaders allege that he later left the organisation following various complaints, though no official records confirming the circumstances of his departure have been made public.
He subsequently joined the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation as a contract employee, allegedly on the recommendation of a former TDP MP.
Sources further claim that he later worked in an outsourced position at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, where he developed contacts with various survey agencies.
Officials allege that Alaparthi supplied political survey reports from these agencies to Chandrababu Naidu and eventually became part of the Chief Minister’s advisory network before taking up his present role in the government.
Some TDP leaders have also expressed concern that sensitive government information is allegedly being leaked from within the system. They argue that a detailed review of Alaparthi’s functioning could reveal further issues.
Another point of discussion is Alaparthi’s appointment to the Joint Implementation Committee constituted to strengthen cooperation between the Andhra Pradesh government and Singapore.
The appointment has reportedly surprised sections of the bureaucracy, who have questioned the rationale behind including an official of his rank in such a high-level committee.
Some senior IAS officers are said to have observed that while Naidu has repeatedly highlighted Singapore’s willingness to partner with Andhra Pradesh on development initiatives, Alaparthi’s inclusion in the committee has generated considerable curiosity within administrative circles.
