Centre is appreciative of Andhra Governor

31-12-2009




CENTRE ACTED ON GOVERNOR'S
ADVICE: UNDERSTOOD GROUND REALITIES

From Our Bureau

NEW DELHI: Centre adopted a cautious approach on Telangana after
detailed ground reality report from Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL
Narasimhan that the Centre need not buckle under regional parties'
pressure to hurry with any announcement on creation of the separate
Telengana state.

Centre was all these months were kept under dark by the
former Governor ND Tiwari,to interact with the top opposition
leaders in Andhra Pradesh to assist facilitation between
GOvernment and Opposition.

According to highly placed Union Home Ministry sources
in North Block the governor sent three top secret fax reports to the
Home Ministry after meeting leaders of all parties and this led to the
Prime Minister abandon the idea of taking a snap decision in the Union
Cabinet meeting Tuesday evening for defusing the Telengana tension.

Narasimhan's long stint with the Intelligence Bureau, including three
years as its chief, came handy for him to make a quick political
assessment and advise the Centre that the Telengana stir will taper off
and the only need is not to rush with any action that gives a handle to
the agitators.

Sources in North Block which houses Union Home Ministry said the
Governor has provided a new perspective to the Telengana issue that
came as a turning point for the Centre to pursue for the time being the
line he suggests.

They said Dr Manmohan Singh already holds Narasimhan in high esteem,
exuding confidence in the Cabinet meeting that he would be able to
defuse the crisis in Andhra Pradesh that erupted on the Telengana
issue.


Narasimhan may also not like to move as his 86-year old mother is in
Raipur Raj Bhawan, while the PM wants him to remain there to guide the
anti-Maoist onslaught being mounted in the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh
by the central forces and the state police.

Sources in Union Home Ministry said that three fax reports are
basically a gist of his discussions with the political leaders on
Monday and Tuesday and his own analysis. His assessment is that any
immediate announcement on Telengana will only strengthen the main
opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and not the Congress.

According highly placed Union Home Ministry sources
soon TRS (Telengana Rastra Samithi) chief K Chandrasekhar Rao left the
Raj Bhawan in Hyderabad on Tuesday, Narasimhan called up National
Security Adviser MK Narayanan, PM's Principal Secretary TKA Nair and
Union Home Secretary GK Pillai to give his assessment that the ground
reality is not as grim as viewed by the Centre to hurry into some
decision.

Union Home Ministry sources also said his reports cover his
interactions with 14 leaders of political parties, including Congress,
TDP, TRS, Left ahd BJP and the possible scenario on the Sunday bandh
call given by TDP and TRS. Advantage to him is that he can talk to them
in Telugu.

Narasimhan started off his meetings with the political leaders after
first talking to Chief Minister K Rosaiah and senior ministers on the
state government's priorities. He is in regular telephonic contact with
Rosaiah, interacting at lest thrice in a day.

Union HOme Ministry sources said he has assured the Prime Minister that
he would stay put in Hyderabad at least up to Sunday to help the Chief
Minister tackle the bandh.

One of his reports exclusively deals with the law and order situation
in the state. He prepared the report after taking a briefing from the
IB joint director posted in Hyderabad, wanting to know about safety and
security of the central government installations which are too many in
almost all districts of Andhra Pradesh.

Among those who called on him on Wednesday included Congress MP Jagan
Mohan Reddy, son of the chief minister killed in a helicopter accident.
The Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police were instructed
by him on Wednesday to keep the Raj Bhawan in loop on all important
events and developments.

Those who know Narasimhan personally say he has maintained the habit he
developed during his tenure with the IB to dictate salient points of
discussions with every political leader and bureaucrat he meets and
keep them on file.

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