Centre bringing down sanctity, autonomy of every institution: Andhra CM

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has charged the Centre with "bringing down the sanctity and autonomy of every institution."

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Naidu has stated that the formation of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) by the Home Ministry is contrary to "our federal spirit. Without a Constitution amendment, in the subject of law and order, the Centre has taken away the lawmaking power of the States."

Citing the move of Union Home Ministry for entrusting the NIA to probe an attack on YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at Visakhapatnam airport on October 25 last year, Naidu further said: "It is with regret and anguish I am to say that the Union Government is bringing down the sanctity and autonomy of every institution." Reddy is the president of YSR Congress Party.

In the letter, dated January 11, 2019, Chief Minister Naidu took exception "to the manner in which the MHA entrusted the investigation of the airport incident to the NIA without dealing with reasoning out the objections furnished by the State government in this regard having called for the same."

"By setting up the NIA, the Central government now obviously wants to take upon itself the responsibility of fighting terror by sidetracking the States," Naidu stated in the letter, saying the "Centre's action has taken away the power of the States.