HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao met Governor ESL Narasimhan at the Raj Bhavan here Monday in the wake of the Andhra Pradesh government’s demand for invoking Section 8 of the AP Reorganisation Act, which empowers the Governor to look after law and order in Hyderabad, the common capital for both the States.
In the meeting that lasted for nearly an hour-and-a-half, KCR reportedly told the Governor there was no need to invoke Section 8 of the Reorganisation Act as law and order situation in Hyderabad was under control.
The meeting assumes significance, coming as it does, days after AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strictly implement Section 8, claiming that ‘Andhras are not safe in Hyderabad.’ In fact, soon after Naidu’s representation to the Prime Minister, the Governor too had met Modi and on Sunday, Narasimhan’s advisors had called on Naidu.
Sources said the Governor sought KCR’s views on Section 8 and other contentious issues between AP and Telangana. The Chief Minister, the sources said, tried to impress upon the Governor that there was also no need to frame ‘operational guidelines’ for implementation of Section 8 as the Act was crystal clear. KCR is understood to have cited the peaceful atmosphere in Hyderabad in the last one year and argued that his AP counterpart was raking up the issue of Section 8 only to cover up his role in the cash-for-vote scandal. The sources also told Express that KCR briefed Narasimhan on the ongoing investigation into the cash-for-vote case but it is unclear if he sought the Governor’s permission to summon Naidu for questioning as part of the probe.
It is learnt that the Chief Minister further informed the Governor of the two new irrigation projects, Palamuru-Rangareddy and Dindi, taken up by his government. Though the AP government is opposing the projects, the Chief Minister reportedly told the Governor that the projects were in fact cleared by the erstwhile united AP governments. Meanwhile, AP Ministers continued their tirade against the Governor, accusing him of siding with the Telangana government on all matters. Minister Kishore Babu alleged the Governor was biased. edit: P8
