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New Indian Express

BRS-era aides on government radar

HYDERABAD: Amid rising concerns over the unauthorised disclosure of sensitive information, the state government has launched an internal review to identify private individuals from the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime who continue to serve in key ministerial offices under the current Congress administration. According to high-level sources, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) has directed the state intelligence department to compile a detailed record of personnel working in the offices of all Cabinet ministers. The focus is on identifying private aides — particularly personal assistants (PAs), private secretaries (PSs), public relations officers (PROs) and other support staff — who have either remained in their posts or been reappointed despite the change in government. The move follows repeated incidents where internal documents and policy decisions surfaced on social media and Opposition-affiliated platforms before their official release. Officials suspect that individuals retained from the BRS government may be leaking information to their former political networks. One example cited is Revenue and Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy's office, where his current PA, Venkat Reddy, also served as PA to former finance minister T Harish Rao during the BRS tenure. Similarly, Forests and Environment Minister Konda Surekha's PA, P Krishna, is a holdover from the previous regime. Several PROs across ministries are also said to fall into this category. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, sources say, was initially opposed to re-employing staff from the previous government. However, some ministers opted to retain or reappoint their preferred aides, exercising discretion in these appointments.