VIJAYAWADA: Less than 24 hours after complying with the Election Commission’s directive to transfer State intelligence chief AB Venkateswara Rao, the Chandrababu Naidu government on Wednesday afternoon took a dramatic U-turn and cancelled the same claiming that he was not connected with poll duties since his primary responsibility was ensuring security to the Chief Minister, his cabinet colleagues and senior politicians.
The Commission had on Tuesday directed the government to transfer Rao and two superintendents of police -- Rahul Dev Sharma and Venkata Ratnam -- of Kadapa and Srikakulam districts respectively following complaints from the YSR Congress that the trio had been acting in a biased manner. Accordingly, the State government issued a GO Tuesday night transferring them to the police headquarters and relieving them of all poll-related duties. However, it appears that a decision was taken to stall the transfer of Venkateswara Rao alone on Wednesday morning with a ‘shocked’ Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu leading the charge against the Election Commission.
A lunch motion petition was moved in the Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking quashing of the EC orders even as Naidu shot off a strongly-worded letter to the Chief Election Commissioner protesting the transfers of the three officers and accusing the Commission of behaving in an undemocratic manner contrary to the principles of natural justice. “The ECI’s conduct has become questionable due to this coloured decision which is deliberately aimed at benefiting the YSRC under the influence of Sri Narendra Modi (PM) aided by Sri K Chandrasekhar Rao (Telangana CM),” he alleged in the missive.
The HC, which heard the plea filed by the State government, directed it to submit all relevant orders pertaining to its argument that he hasn’t been entrusted with any poll-related duties. It also instructed the Election Commission to submit details of the transfer orders and deferred hearing to Thursday. The YSRC sought to implead itself in the matter which was strongly objected to by the government counsel. However, the court said it will hear the YSRC arguments too.
The man in the eye of the storm AB Venkateswara Rao has for long been a controversial figure in the police department. He was promoted to the rank of DG just one day before the model code of conduct came into force.
Seen as close to the ruling TDP, he has raised the hackles of the YSRC more recently for his alleged role in wiretapping its leaders -- the issue is currently being heard by the High Court.
A highly-placed source in the police department told TNIE on condition of anonymity that as intelligence chief ABV, as he is known, was among the CM’s top strategists.
“The big question is why is the government so desperate to save him? Defying ECI is unprecedented. At the time of elections, the entire government machinery is at the disposal of the ECI. All that the ECI has done is to transfer him. It is not a punitive action either,” the source reasoned and pointed out that at this time, the government machinery, being under the ambit of the poll body, cannot issue a GO nullifying the orders of the ECI.
“They are tampering with rules. It sends a wrong signal that the government machinery is biased.
It appears that the CM is being misled,” the source said. TNIE tried to reach ABV but he was not available for comments.