HYDERABAD: Touching the raw nerve in his Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had dashed off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to invoke related provisions in the AP Reorganisation Act 2014, which give special powers to Governor to protect the properties and interests of Seemandhra people living in Hyderabad.
Even as Rao is critical of the sections in AP Reorganisation Act which give control to Governor over the law and order in Hyderabad, AP Chief Minister Naidu, in his letter wrote a couple of days ago, reportedly requested the Prime Minister to give absolute powers to Governor in regard to policing in Hyderabad, including maintenance of law and order, appointment of police commissioners and transfer of police officials.
Naidu, in his letter, further requested the Prime Minister to see that the Governor gets full powers as per the AP State Reorganisation Act 2014 so that the property and liberty of the Seemandhra people in Hyderabad would be protected.
The AP Chief Minister reportedly told Modi that as per the Act, the Governor is responsible for maintaining law and order in Hyderabad as long as it is the common capital of Telangana and AP. “Under section (8A) of the Act, Governor has been given special powers to protect the people of Seemandhra who live i Hyderabad. The Governor has every authority to appoint city police commissioner, DCPs and ACPs of the police zones in the city. If necessary, he can even have police force which is a mix of people from both states. Hence, I am pleading with the Centre to ensure that the provisions in the Act are properly implemented,” Naidu told the Prime Minister in his letter.
Directive to MPs
Ahead of the commencement of the monsoon session of Parliament, Naidu held a meeting with the MPs of AP at Lake View Guest House here on Sunday.
In view of the ‘hostile’ atmosphere between the governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh almost on every issue, the AP government is understood have decided to ask the Centre to invoke the special powers of the Governor to protect the liberty and properties of Seemandhra people living in Hyderabad.
According to sources, AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who had the other day found fault with his Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao for undertaking demolition drive against ‘illegal structures’ of Seemandhra people, asked the MPs of AP to seek clarity from the Centre on the special powers given to the Governor in the AP Reorganisation Act with regard to protecting the lives and property of Seemandhra people in Hyderabad. The MPs have been asked to prevail on the Centre to define the powers of the Governor in detail under section 8 AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.