BJP-TDP Combine Moves To Strip Telangana Of Law & Order Powers Over Hyderabad

After issues over Polavaram, Power PPAs, Water to Delta, the BJP and TDP combine in AP and in Centre are moving to hand the powers over law & order in Hyderabad and Cyberabad jurisdictions to the common governor. As per news from Delhi, the centre reportedly prepared this draft after AP CM Chandrababu Naidu gave it in writing to the Centre that the the law & order in Hyderabad should be maintained through the police forces of both AP & Telangana. Mr Naidu asked in his letter that all powers over law& order should be vested with the Governor and that the Commissioners of police should report directly to the Governor and not either of the State Governments. As per Naidu’s demand, the Centre prepared a draft of amendments that need to be done to AP Re-Org Act, to fulfill Chandrababu Naidu’s wishes. Citing Section 8 of the AP Re-Organization Act, the Centre, with union minister Venkaiah Naidu’s active pursuing, prepared a draft of the amendments to be made and reportedly sent it to the Telangana Government.

Section 8 of the Act says:

(1) On and from the appointed day, for the purposes of administration of the common capital area, the Governor shall have special responsibility for the security of life, liberty and property of all those who reside in such area.

(2) In particular, the responsibility of the Governor shall extend to matters such as law and order, internal security and security of vital installations, and management and allocation of Government buildings in the common capital area.

The AP CM’s argument is that all the changes he is suggesting would come under the purview of this section. However, the section does not just mention law & order but life, liberty and property. Telangana Government has already made vital decisions on occupied lands. So is the AP CM suggesting Governor take over the revenue department too, to safeguard properties of Andhras’? That is not clear as of now. But somehow the AP CM and the Centre are missing the point that this amendment to the act in itself won’t be sufficient as law and order is  a state subject. To snatch it from Telangana would require the TDP-BJP combine to amend the Constitution and insert a special case for Hyderabad’s law & order. Will the BJP stoop to that level to satisfy the greed of a few in AP to protect their illegal properties in Hyderabad is a question we will know answer to, in next few days.