HYDERABAD: With the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) expected to issue a notice to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu in the cash-for-vote scam at any moment, the AP government on Tuesday threatened to serve a similar notice to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for allegedly tapping phones of its key functionaries.
Asserting that the Telangana ACB has no right to issue a notice to Naidu, Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said there would be equal reaction from AP for any action by the TS government.
Stating that 87 cases were registered against KCR in AP, which are being investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the CID, he warned the TS government not to “cross limits.”
On Tuesday afternoon, soon after Telangana ACB Director General A K Khan met KCR and Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma met Governor ESL Narasimhan, Naidu went into a huddle with his cabinet colleagues at the Secretariat and formulated a strategy to counter any possible notice to him.
Later, addressing mediapersons, AP Ministers, Ramakrishnudu, K Atchannaidu, R Kishore Babu and P Pulla Rao, launched a counter-offensive against the TS government. “The ACB of Telangana has no right to issue notices to AP CM Naidu. In case, a notice is issued, the Andhra government will give a befitting reply,” they said.
Claiming documentary evidence in the alleged phone tapping, they said they were ready to nail KCR in the case. “Once we make this evidence public, Telangana CM KCR will have to resign and his government will fall,” they said. However, the ministers dismissed reports that Naidu might be forced to resign in the wake of the ongoing investigation into the cash-for-vote scam. “There is no question of Naidu resigning. We are not afraid of any case,” they said.
AP Chief Secretary, DGP Meet Governor
Soon after the AP Cabinet meeting, AP Chief Secretary IYR Krishna Rao and DGP JV Ramudu called on Governor ESL Narasimhan and held talks with him for over an hour. It is learnt that the duo explained to the Governor the State government’s decision to use only Andhra police for the security of its CM and ministers in Hyderabad. They are understood to have sought formal permission from the Governor for the same. Later, they met Chief Minister Naidu and conveyed the views of Narasimhan to him.
