HYDERABAD:The cash-for-vote scam is now all set to travel beyond the boundaries of the two Telugu states, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With key heads of both set to fly to Delhi in the next few days, many more twists and turns are likely in the scandal that first led to the arrest of a Telugu Desam MLA but has since gone beyond to engulf even party chief and AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu, just around the time he completed a year in office.
Though it is still not clear if the Telangana police will go ahead and register an FIR against Naidu based on his alleged telephonic conversation with nominated MLA at the time of the Legislative Council elections, at least two crucial issues are expected to come up soon, going by the developments of the day - one, the rules and ethics governing tapping of phones and two, the role of the Governor who happens to be common head for both the States.It is Governor ESL Narasimhan who will be the first to leave for Delhi on Tuesday morning where he is expected to meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh among others and this latest row between Andhra and Telangana is expected to be the major topic of discussion.
If the TS police stretch the issue to the extent of seeking Naidu’s prosecution, it is the Governor who has to grant them permission and the buzz is he would like to get Delhi’s view on how to approach the issue.
Apart from the view in a section of the legal fraternity that the conversation, said to have taken place between Naidu and the MLA, may not stand legal scrutiny, the Governor is also expected to keep in mind the political implications given the fact that the TDP and Naidu are allies of the NDA government at the Centre. The Telangana government is, for the record, maintaining that it has not tapped Naidu’s phone but pushed to the wall, the TDP now seems to be planning to convert this into a big issue besides demanding that law and order in Hyderabad,the common capital for both AP and Telangana, should be brought under the control of a neutral authority - Governor.
The Andhra Pradesh cabinet meeting on Tuesday before Naidu flies to Delhi is likely to officially pass two resolutions - 1) condemning the ‘phone tapping’ and 2) seeking strict implementation of the provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act .
The Andhra Pradesh cabinet meeting on Tuesday before Naidu flies to Delhi is likely to officially pass two resolutions
■ Condemning the ‘phone tapping’
■ Seeking strict implementation of the provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act wherein the Governor is expected to have a supervisory role over the law and order machinery in Hyderabad.