Hyderabad: The tussle between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh triggered by the note-for-vote scam got uglier with TDP members lodging police complaints against TRS president and CM Chandrashekhar Rao, charging him with tapping the phone of his Andhra counterpart Chandrababu Naidu.
Nearly 35 complaints were filed and as many FIRs registered against KCR in several police stations across Andhra Pradesh. TDP workers also staged protests across the state and burnt effigies of the Telangana CM.
The provocation for TDP leaders to lodge complaints against KCR was the airing of an audio conversation by a Telangana TV channel that replayed an alleged conversation between Naidu and nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson.
AP information minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy told reporters that the TDP government would lodge a complaint with the Centre against the Telangana government's attempts to damage Naidu's reputation. “Naidu has been CM for three terms and was an Opposition leader for 10 years. He is a politician with Z-plus security. If his telephone can be tapped, what will be the fate of the common man?” he asked. The lodging of complaints and protests are expected to continue.
The two governments have been engaged in an ugly spat following the Telangana anti-corruption bureau trapping TDP MLA A Revanth Reddy while he was allegedly attempting to bribe Stephenson to vote for the TDP in the legislative council polls. In return, the allegation goes, Stephenson was offered Rs 5000,000 in cash and assured a payment of another Rs 45 million. The sting operation was carried out on May 31, and Revanth is in judicial custody. Since then, the TRS government has been hinting that Naidu too will face action for his involvement in the case.
While all the complaints lodged were unanimous in naming KCR as the prime accused, others who figured in the complaints.
