Hyderabad, Feb 5 (NationPress) BRS leader R. S. Praveen Kumar has formally requested the Harvard Kennedy School to retract the certificate recently conferred upon Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for the executive education program, citing a significant number of criminal allegations.

In a message dispatched to President Alan Garber and Dean Jeremy Weinstein on Thursday, Praveen Kumar stated that Reddy is implicated in 89 criminal cases, which is the highest record among any Indian Chief Minister, as per affidavits reviewed by the Association for Democratic Reforms, encompassing 72 serious IPC charges.

“As an esteemed alumnus of the Harvard Kennedy School (MC-MPA 2012 and Edward S Mason Fellow), I express my deep disappointment and outrage regarding the recent issuance of a completion certificate in the ‘Leadership in the 21st Century: Chaos, Conflict, and Courage’ executive education program to Mr Anumula Revanth Reddy, the current Chief Minister of Telangana, India. This action reflects institutional irresponsibility,” Praveen Kumar remarked.

He further informed the officials that Reddy was ‘caught in the act during a 2015 cash-for-vote scandal by the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau, attempting to bribe a fellow legislator, which led to his arrest and roughly 50 days in jail’.

Praveen Kumar also accused Reddy of engaging in ‘divisive politics along caste and communal lines, using unparliamentary language towards opponents and their families, and weaponizing false cases to target rivals’. Such behavior undermines the core values of ethical leadership, civility, and public service that HKS claims to nurture in its classrooms, he asserted.

“How can the Harvard Kennedy School, an institution that has been cultivating global and ethical leaders for 400 years, stoop to issuing certificates to politicians with such questionable credentials? There seems to be a lack of rigorous background checks, formal interviews, or due diligence prior to granting admission to Mr Reddy. It appears that Harvard is ‘selling’ short executive programs to controversial figures for prestige or fees, allowing corrupt leaders to don a facade of legitimacy while concealing their moral failures and wrongdoings,” the email continues.

“This is not leadership; it is a breach of trust. I am ashamed that my alma mater has fallen to this low, prioritizing popularity over integrity. Please revoke this certificate immediately,” he urged, demanding the Kennedy School to reassess their admission protocols for executive programs to avert ‘such high voltage embarrassments.’

Revanth Reddy participated in the program from January 25 to 30 at the Kennedy School at Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

He received the certificate upon completing the program on January 30.