TS ready to strike; AP CM wary

Reject ACB notice, cops advise Naidu

Hyderabad: The AP Government appears to be gearing up for a long-drawn battle on the issue of cash-for-vote scam. It is learnt that the AP police has information that the Telangana ACB will issue notices to AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday. In the wake of this information, Andhra Pradesh DGP J V Ramudu met Naidu and discussed the various options that were available to the government and what it should do in case the ACB serves notices on him.

The State police have reportedly advised that Chief Minister not to receive the notices if served by the TS ACB. If the ACB tries to serve notices through the court then, it would be fought in the court. The AP police say that they had decided on opting for legal course of action as the ACB had no locus standi in the issue, as the case has to be dealt by the Election Commission of India as the incident had taken place when the election process was on.

Meanwhile, the AP government has released the representation submitted by Chandrababu Naidu to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to it, Naidu sought “institutional arrangement and operational protocol for an effective and equitable common capital where life, liberty and properties of the people could be protected.

He also alleged that “The critical provisions of sections pertaining to where the Governor could take individual judgment have been violated right from the day one of the formation of the State. He pointed out that following the division of the State, there have been selective demolitions of properties of people of Andhra origin which has resulted in whipping up passions against them residing in Hyderabad.

The Chief Minister also pointed out that the TS government by ordering a ‘samagra survey’ (comprehensive survey) created fear and insecurity among the people of Andhra origin as they felt that the survey was primarily meant to figure out their place of birth, nativity etc, in violation of constitutional provisions and State Reorganisation Act.

The CM of Telangana and other functionaries of TS have been insulting the people of Andhra Pradesh calling them looters and exploiters, Naidu said in his representation. Further, he said, “CM of Telangana has been relentlessly targeting top government officials, ministers and including the Chief Minister of AP by indulging in phone tapping which is in contravention of the law.”

It also alleged that the government had engaged private agencies to illegally tap the phones of Andhra Pradesh CM and other officials. The representation also quoted the statements of the TS Home Minister to media to drive home the point. Against this back drop, the representation said that “Two state governments functioning from one city but only one state having all the authority over law and order and city management has no precedent.

This situation invokes serious threat to liberty and undermines democratic norms and infringes fundamental rights and harbours insecurity. Hence the Centre should intervene and order a High level probe into the illegal phone tapping by TS government.”