In the wake of a political storm caused by the local media airing an audio recording of a purported conversation between Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and a nominated legislator, the former has rushed to New Delhi to meet the prime minister and several Union ministers to explain himself.
According to highly placed sources, the Centre does not want to get in to any controversy over the phone tapping issue.
So, it was a hectic Thursday for Naidu, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan in New Delhi. He is also visiting some Union ministers to explain his side of the story and is seeking the Centre’s intervention on the issue.
Naidu also had a meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and some senior officials of the home ministry.
Narasimhan is expected to meet the PM on Thursday. He briefed President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday on the political situation prevailing in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana after the controversial phone tapping details were leaked to the media.
The President is expected to visit Hyderabad at the end of the month, but if the tapping issue takes a different turn, he may have to reschedule his sojourn, according to sources.
Both Telangana and Andhra have been peaceful since the bifurcation one year ago, but according to sources, this controversy has shaken the image of the Andhra CM among foreign investors, especially from Singapore and Japan.
Sources say that representatives of both the countries, who are camping in Hyderabad, are keenly watching this episode unfold.
Photograph: PIB
