Andhra Pradesh to insist on enforcing Section 8 of Telangana Bill in toto

Hyderabad: Following its emergency Cabinet meeting, the AP government on Tuesday alleged that the TS government had resorted to character assassination of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and accused the Governor of not doing justice to the state. Briefing media after the meeting, finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said Mr Naidu’s personal liberty and security was affected by the tapping of his phone by the TS government. This was ground enough for the AP government to book a case against the TS government, he said.

About Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Mr Ramakrishnudu said the AP government had approached him many times about Section 8 of the State Reorganisation Act. “He said he would do, but he did not do so,” the minister said. The Section deals with the powers of the Governor in the joint capital of Hyderabad. During the meeting, the AP Cabinet passed a resolution requesting the Centre to order an inquiry against the TS government for the alleged tapping of phones. The Cabinet passed another resolution asking the Centre to implement Section 8 of the AP Reorganisation Act and to frame rules and guidelines to hand over the law and order of Hyderabad to the Governor.

After the meeting, Mr Ramakrishnudu, informed the media that the state had asked the Centre to inquire if the TS government was tapping phones legally or illegally and to collect full data regarding the same.