Former IAS officer Praveen Prakash, who played a key role during the previous YSR Congress party government and took voluntary retirement soon after the present Telugu Desam Party-led coalition government came to power last year, says he received threatening calls during the present government.
In an interview to a YouTube channel, Praveen Prakash said he was threatened with serious consequences if he attempted to withdraw his application for Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS).
He revealed that some individuals had issued intimidating messages warning him against re-entering government service. However, he refrained from disclosing the identities of those who allegedly issued the threats.
“They told me, ‘You have already left service. That itself is your punishment. If you try to create drama about coming back into service, we will take you in—but after that, there will be severe consequences,’” he said.
Praveen Prakash stated that despite receiving such threats, he met the then chief secretary Neerabh Kumar Prasad and conveyed his concerns.
According to him, the chief secretary advised him against pursuing the withdrawal, stating that even if he applied, the government was likely to reject the request.
Explaining the background to his decision, Praveen Prakash said that after the coalition government assumed power in 2024, he was not given any posting. Within 21 days, he submitted his VRS application.
“I realised that I had lost the confidence of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu. I was branded as pro-YSRCP officer. There was no way I could prove my integrity. I thought there is no point in sitting idle and taking salary without doing any work,” he said.
He admitted that his decision was opposed by his family members and that his parents were under severe emotional stress.
“Seeing the pressure my parents were going through, I wanted to request the government to reconsider my VRS decision,” he said, adding that the circumstances eventually forced him to step away from that option.