Chandrababu meets Modi, seeks probe into phone-tapping

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demand a probe into the alleged tapping of his phone and that of his ministers, MPs and MLAs by the Telangana government.

During the hour-long meeting, Naidu also demanded law and order powers for the governor in common capital Hyderabad to ensure effective implementation of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.

Naidu, whose Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is a partner in the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, also met Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, Finance Minister Arun Jaitely and BJP president Amit Shah.

He later told reporters that he sought a detailed probe into the phone-tapping as it was a serious issue.

He also demanded that the Centre confiscate illegal equipment being used for tapping and make servers safe.

Stating that there was a constitutional crisis in the common capital Hyderabad due to the attitude of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government, he hoped that the Centre will intervene.

"It is totally illegal and unethical on part of the TRS government to tap our phones. I want to ask who has given them this power," said a visibly upset Naidu.

The TDP chief turned emotional while answering queries about his alleged audio tape and arrest of TDP MLA Revanth Reddy in the cash-for-vote scam.

"Ours is a constitutionally elected government. I have equal rights in Hyderabad. Two governments have sovereign powers. They have their own jurisdiction," he said.

Alleging that the TRS lured many TDP and other opposition MLAs, he wondered if the anti-defection law does not apply to the TRS.

He said he also complained to the Centre about attacks on people from Andhra Pradesh settled in Hyderabad.

Naidu's meeting with Modi came a day after the Andhra Pradesh cabinet passed resolutions on phone-tapping and on implementation of Section 8 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.

Meanwhile, the chief secretary and the director general of police of Andhra Pradesh also met the union home secretary and submitted to him reports on the phone-tapping and the reorganisation act.

An audio tape of Naidu's alleged telephonic conversation with Telangana's nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson in the cash-for-vote scam was aired on some television channels on Sunday.

This triggered speculations that the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) may include Naidu as an accused in the case, in which his party's deputy leader in the Telangana assembly A. Revanth Reddy has already been caught red-handed.

Revanth Reddy and two others were arrested by the ACB on May 31 while offering Rs.50 lakh to Stephenson to make him vote for the TDP-BJP candidate in the Telangana legislative council elections.