On a day of fast-paced developments, Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau Director General A. K. Khan called on Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday triggering speculation that the TS Government was all set to take the next step in the Cash for Vote case, possible notice on the AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh Government decided to counter the moves of the Telangana Government to serve notices on Mr. Chandrababu Naidu in the episode.
Soon after the ACB chief met Mr. KCR, TS Director General of Police Anurag Sharma and City Police Commissioner M. Mahender Reddy called on Governor E.S.L. Narsimhan at Raj Bhavan.
Highly placed sources said that the two senior police officials apparently explained to the Governor the Telangana Government’s move to serve notices on the A.P. Chief Minister in the wake of audio tapes featuring purported conversation between Mr. Naidu and an independent MLA Elvis Stephenson seeking his support for his party nominee in the Legislative Council election.
Sources in the Telangana CM’s office, however, termed the meeting between ACB chief and the Chief Minister as a routine exercise.
It may be mentioned here that the Telangana Chief Minister had a 90-minute discussion with the Governor yesterday on the progress of Cash for Vote scam investigation and the demand by the TDP that the Governor should take over the law and order in Hyderabad as per section 8 of the AP Reorganisation Act. Mr. Rao strongly opposed the demand during the meeting.
AP Govt firm on countering TRS' move
"We will take to legal recourse if need be and take steps accordingly. We have concrete evidence against the Telangana Government," Agriculture Minister P. Pulla Rao said. The Minister said that the Government was prepared to serve notices on Mr. K. Chandrasekhar Rao and other officials concerned if the Government of the neighbouring State went ahead with its plans to serve notices on Mr. Naidu.
The Minister was speaking to media after a marathon meeting convened by the Chief Minister to review the situation arising out of the TRS Government's move to serve notices on the AP Government officials. The meeting, attended by DGP J.V. Ramudu and senior police officials, took stock of the legal position of the cases being filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Telangana.
"The Telangana ACB's jurisdiction is confined to the employees of the State and the notices served on the AP Government will not stand legal scrutiny," a Minister said. The meeting also discussed about the nature of the cases and it was felt that these cases would have no impact on the Government.
"There is no need for the Chief Minister to resign. In fact, the TRS Government should clarify about the origin of the voice in the tapes it had leaked deliberately," Labour Minister K. Atchannaidu said. The Ministers recalled how the efforts of the previous Congress Government headed by Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, to tarnish the image of the TDP and Mr. Naidu had failed in the past.
"The Telangana Chief Minister's attempts too will meet the same fate," he said. The meeting, however, resolved that the DGP and the Chief Secretary I.Y.R. Krishna Rao would call on Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan later in the day and brief him about the developments.
