N D Tiwari sex scandal sends President Patil home?

NEW DELHI: Telangana crisis, N D Tiwari sex scam and the revocation of central rule in Jharkhand has prompted President Pratibha Patil to cut short her winter sojourn at Rashtrapati Nilayam in Hyderabad and return to Delhi on Monday.

While denying that there were any security concerns, Rashtrapati Bhavan officials said the President had expressed her wish to be in Delhi at the time of government formation in Jharkhand. She was expected to stay in Hyderabad till January 6 as is the tradition.

While there were reports that the President was advised by security agencies not to visit Andhra which has been witnessing widespread agitation over the issue of Telangana statehood, officials denied any such concern.

This is the first time that Patil would be spending her new year in Rashtrapati Bhavan after taking over as President in 2007. Rashtrapati Nilayam is one of the two official retreats of the President of India.

It is located in a suburb called Bollarum on the outskirts of Secunderabad. Meanwhile, the President accepted the resignation of Andhra governor N D Tiwari and asked the Chhattisgarh governor to discharge the duties till further arrangements were made.

‘‘The President of India has accepted the resignation of Narayan Datt Tiwari as governor of Andhra Pradesh and has appointed E S L Narasimhan, governor of Chhattisgarh, to discharge the functions of the governor of Andhra Pradesh in addition to his own duties, until regular arrangements for the office of the governor of Andhra Pradesh are made,’’ a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement said.

Tiwari had tendered his resignation to the President on Saturday after a sting operation showed him purportedly in a compromising position with three women.