Narasimhan to defuse tensions in Hyderabad
Rajnath Singh has tasked the Governor with keeping peace between the CMs of AP and Telangana.
in Hyderabad city, the common capital of both states, as per the Section 8 of the AP State Reorganization Act. Naidu has been demanding that Section 8 be invoked to rein in KCR.
KCR rushed to Raj Bhavan on Wednesday and told Narasimhan that he would not keep quiet if Section 8 is used to control law and order in the capital through the Governor. KCR threatened to launch a massive stir, including a fast to protest against any dilution in his powers in any part of Telangana. KCR held a Cabinet meeting to review steps to be taken to protest the proposal to use Section 8.
Several Telangana outfits including Telangana government employees groups and student groups from different universities took out rallies and burnt effigies of Naidu on Thursday and Friday. The Telangana political Joint Action Committee ( JAC) which had been dormant all these months, also held a meeting and threatened to launch a “Quit Hyderabad” stir, targeting Andhra people, if the Governor is given powers over Hyderabad.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) meanwhile threatened to demand that Hyderabad be made a Union Territory, if the Centre fails to stop KCR from harassing Andhra leaders in the city.
“We will certainly go to any extent and demand UT status for Hyderabad if the Centre fails to stop KCR from prosecuting our CM,” senior TDP MLC Y.V.B. Rajendra Prasad told The Sunday Guardian.
Rajendra Prasad was also harsh on Narasimhan for his alleged failure to stop the prosecution of TDP MLA A. Revanth Reddy and the Telangana ACB’s plans to serve notices to Naidu in the cash for vote scam. There was a lull in TDP leaders’ criticism of Narasimhan in the last week, after a directive from the Centre, but lower- rung leaders have again started attacking the Governor.
Sources in the Governor’s office told this newspaper that Narasimhan has already brought the volatile situation to the notice of the Centre and he is expected to be briefed by the PM and other top central leaders in Delhi during the latest visit. In fact, Hyderabad Raj Bhavan has become a hub of activity as everyday several batches of delegates from both the states call on the Governor.
The political heat in Hyderabad has gone up as the Government Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL) in Hyderabad, which examined the alleged audio tapes of Naidu, had submitted its report to the ACB court on Friday. Though no official word is available on the report, ACB sources told this newspaper that the voice in the tapes was found to be that of Naidu.
Telangana ACB is planning to file a petition before the court seeking examination of Naidu in the case, based on the FSL reports next week. If the court allows it, the ACB will serve notices to the AP CM next week. As Naidu is not willing to take those notices, there might be a crisis in carrying out the orders of the ACB special court.
The case has taken another turn as the Election Commission of India (EC) filed a petition before the ACB court on Friday seeking access to the audio tapes and the FSL reports. The state deputy chief electoral officer Sri Devasena Allamraju appeared before the court and told the magistrate that as the case is linked with the MLC elections, the EC too wants to probe it.
Narasimhan is expected to call both the CMs again to Raj Bhavan next week and ask them to follow the Constitution and act as per the law.
Though the Centre has not revealed its thinking on the situation in Hyderabad, it has asked the Governor to get tough if either the TDP or the TRS tries to create a law and order problem in Hyderabad.