AP strongly protests against manhandling of official

• Says issue could have been easily resolved
• Governor summons TS officials for explanation

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government on Friday strongly condemned the way senior official and chief executive officer of AP Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, Murali Sagar, was manhandled by the police at the behest of the Telangana government.

Communication advisor to the AP government Parakala Prabhakar, in a press conference, came down heavily on the Telangana government stating that it had violated all the laws of the land, its traditions and conventions while handling official matter belonging to both the governments.

“A police officer dragged the driver out the official car and drove Murali Sagar to the police station as if he was a criminal. His home was vandalised on the pretext of search opertaion and his family members were terrorised all because the AP government moved some of the funds of the board to banks in AP area out of necessity,” Prabhakar said.

Unlike civilised governments, which solve the issue across the table, the Telangana resorted to brute force, he said. Giving details of the funds, Prabhakar said an amount of Rs 1,463 crore was available, Rs 1,005 in the banks and Rs 458 crore in public deposits, on the Appointed Day of June 2.

After the bifurcation, Andhra Pradesh share came to Rs 850 crore, where Rs 583 crore was in the banks and Rs 267 were in the form of public deposit and Telangana government share was Rs 613 crore of which Rs 422 crore was in the banks and Rs 191 crore in public deposits. “Out of necessity, the AP government moved Rs 398 crore on the advice of chief secretary which was decried by Telangana government which treated it as theft,” Prabhakar said.

The issue was taken up with the Governor and the Central government, he said.

Sources said Governor ESL Narasimhan summoned the Telangana officials and sought an explanation on Thursday’s issue.