Telangana ACB set to name Chandrababu Naidu in cash-for-vote scam

Governor to meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday to discuss the matter

The Governor’s role and the Centre’s approach to the cash-for-vote case will come into intense focus in the next few days with the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Telangana government just one step away from naming Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu in the ongoing investigation into the scam.

After taking measured steps in building the case based on the available evidence in an unprecedented situation where one state government is probing the role of a chief minister of another state government, the ACB on Thursday formally sought the audio and video footage from the ACB court for further investigation.

The footage, certified by the state forensic lab, also comprises the telephone conversation Naidu is alleged to have had with Telangana legislator Elivis Stephenson, on whose complaint the entire investigation stands.

Following the ACB’s formal requisition for the audio and video tapes from the court,  it's being speculated that the investigating agency might  issue notices to Naidu and some other prominent leaders of Telaugu Desam Party (TDP) anytime now, asking for their statements or questioning for the ongoing investigation.

In a further indication of the impending developments, Governor ESL Narasimhan is rushing to Delhi for a meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh scheduled on Friday morning on the issue.

During the past 25 days, Naidu and his government have raised all possible questions against the Telangana government's move besides demanding the Governor's control in matters of police and law and order as far as the common capital region of Hyderabad is concerned. The AP government also launched a counter investigation into what it termed as the illegal tapping of their phones by the Telangana government, among other accusations, besides asking for call data of certain functionaries in the Telangana government.

Raising the pitch against the ACB investigation, leaders of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had threatened the Telangana government that they would undertake a fresh agitation seeking union territory status for Hyderabad if Naidu gets implicated.

On June 10, Naidu met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, soon after his alleged phone conversation was aired by local television channels and complained against Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

On May 31, TDP’s Telangana MLA A Revanth Reddy was caught allegedly offering Rs 50 lakh cash to Stephenson as an advance in exchange for his vote in favour of TDP candidate in the legislative council (MLC) elections held on June 1. The ACB had  recorded the entire episode with a set of secret video cameras and a portion of this footage was shown by local television channels.