TS, AP may encounter new problems

Aappointment OF new UNION HOME SECRETARY

New Delhi: The marching orders given to the senior bureaucrat and Union Home Secretary, L C Goyal, and his replacement with Rajiv Mehrishi, may pose as a new challenge to the two Telugu states. Replacement of Goyal might have been done due to the “synergy problems" between the Home Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office.

But, this is not going to be easy on both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, whose representatives are making repeated rounds to New Delhi seeking redressal of their grievances vis-a-vis AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. Several contentious issues are pending before the Home Ministry and a lot of Goyal's time was consumed in pacifying the rivals from the Telugu states seeking "action against each other" over several issues.

As for the Andhra Pradesh government is concerned its carefully construed arguments all these seven months have veered round the Section 8 of the Reorganisation Act and the implementation of the same in Hyderabad conferring special powers on the Governor to take control of the Law and Order of the joint capital. It is also seeking bifurcation of the institutions and the finances listed under the other Sections too.

The Telangana government has been strongly arguing against the AP government's claims and is knocking on the doors of the Home Ministry close on the heels of the AP government’s moves always. Yet another "regular" to the Home Ministry was the Governor, E S L Narasimhan, who was flying to New Delhi as frequently and perhaps more than the others to update the Home Ministry on several contentious issues and controversies.

This would be one of the headaches that the new entrant of the Home Ministry will be inheriting. Goyal reportedly charted a neutral course all along and guided all the players to strictly follow his own rules of the game rather than adopt a juvenile approach. He is said to have used Narasimhan deftly as his captain to steer the rocking boat steadily even when the cash-for-vote scam hit the headlines.

The most complicated one with both governments’ not only slamming cases against the alleged perpetrators of the crime but also against the Chief Minister's and the DGPs too in a rage that surprised the Home Ministry here. Goyal, who was patient enough to listen to both the sides has always advised restraint and caution, it is said.

With the transfer of Goyal out of the Department, it is not only a challenge to the incumbent but also to the two State governments too to replay their counter arguments from the beginning now. There is already restlessness among the two governments and their peoples that the bifurcation process was getting delayed. With the change of the Governor also being imminent for the two states, things could be inordinately delayed further, sources in the department say.

Synergy between the Union Finance Ministry and the Union Home Ministry was also said to have been low under Goyal's tenure here that could have resulted in some delay in resolving the disputes between the Telugu states. Mehrishi, a 1978 batch IAS officer, was Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, Finance Ministry.

He was due to retire on Tuesda but has been given a two-year extension. He served as a Chief Secretary in Rajasthan and was hand-picked by the Prime Minister to serve in the central government, it is learnt. Whether this would help the two states is to be seen. Anyway nothing is expected to move before Mehrishi settles down and turns his attention to the bifurcation provisions afresh.

One problem in this is that he comes at more testing times than Goyal. With Gujarat on the boil over quota system, Bihar Elections and Trade Union turmoil, etc, being his priorities, appointments to the officials and the political heads of AP and Telangana could be of lesser interest to him, it is being felt.