Chandrababu Naidu has no reason to approve of any decision that his bete noire Jaganmohan Reddy takes. But he would take a vicarious pleasure in witnessing the humiliating ouster of Chief Secretary LV Subramanyam. On Monday, LVS was shunted to the AP Human Resource Development Institute in Bapatla.

That’s because LVS gave Naidu grief in the run-up to the elections in Andhra Pradesh and more specifically, in the prolonged period between the date of elections and counting. LVS, who was appointed as the Chief Secretary by the Election Commission, replacing Naidu’s choice AC Punetha, refused to acknowledge the CM’s orders.

“He is a CM without powers,” LVS is reported to have caustically remarked about Naidu, refusing to attend his meeting to review the preparedness of the Andhra administration for Cyclone Fani. 

At that point in time, LVS was on a high, seeing the moment as his sweet revenge on Naidu. Subramanyam had been superseded to the top bureaucratic post by Naidu. And on the day, EC appointed Subramanyam, Naidu referred to the EMAAR land case in which the IAS officer was named along with Accused number one, Jaganmohan Reddy. Naidu’s intention was to say that a pro-Jagan tainted officer had been appointed to the crucial post. What Naidu conveniently left out was that LVS had been acquitted by the High court and the CM himself had promoted him as Special Chief Secretary.

From dealing with a “CM without powers”, LVS fell because Jagan was determined to show that he is a CM with enormous powers.

Subramanyam’s refusal or inability to issue Government orders at a pace that Jagan wanted and the Chief Secretary’s decision to use the stick against the CM’s Principal Secretary proved to be his undoing.