Centre asks Andhra Pradesh and Telengana Governor ESL Narasimhan to broker truce between states

NEW DELHI: The central government has distanced itself from the conflict between the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, asking the governor of the two states, ESL Narasimhan, to broker a truce instead. PM Narendra Modi is said to be reluctant to intervene in Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu’s favour although Telugu Desam Party is a member of NDA and has two ministers in the Modi government.

The cold reception to Naidu’s various delegations to Delhi points to a growing distance between the two allies. “Apart from the cash-for-votes scam, which has happened recently, there are several other reasons for this coldness. The state government has been devolved funds to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore under various heads in the past one year alone, but the impression created by Naidu is that the Centre hasn’t done anything,” said a top government official.

“We have also received reports that family members of Naidu, especially his son, Nara Lokesh, has been interfering in administrative issues,” he said.

Home minister Rajnath Singh, another official said, has told home secretary LC Goyal to resolve the tangled finances and other issues of the new states with the officials of those states at his own level.

In contrast, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi has managed to repair its relationship with the Centre after a rocky start, and has managed special projects for itself under the Union budget for the current fiscal. “Nizamabad MP K Kavitha, daughter of the Telangana chief minister has managed to strike a relationship with the Centre and has managed that relationship well,” said a BJP member.

Governor Narasimhan, who has intervened successfully in the past to resolve several issues between the two states, has a clear brief of using his own discretion.