Naidu slams Diggy for acting like a super boss

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam president Nara Chandrababu Naidu has accused AICC general secretary in charge of the party's state affairs Digvijaya Singh of behaving like a 'super boss' and dictating even to the governor and Assembly speaker on the Telangana bill.

Speaking to reporters at his residence here on Friday, Naidu said Singh was behaving as constitutional head of the state and was taking all the major decisions on state's bifurcation.

'Digvijaya Singh is deciding when the draft bill on Telangana should be sent to the state, when the chief minister and the chief secretary should send it to the state Assembly, when the speaker should convene the Business Advisory Committee meeting, and when the draft should be tabled in the Assembly.

He is met even by the governor in Delhi for discussing bifurcation. He is even deciding when the Union cabinet should send the draft to the President. What is he? In what capacity is he speaking?' he asked.

'Who is he to supersede constitutional bodies and dictate to a state government? This shows that the Congress is taking the bifurcation issue as its issue and is playing with the lives of the people of the state.

'Digvijaya claims that the Centre has not violated any rule while preparing the draft bill. I am ready to prove him wrong and discuss with him all the issues included in the GoM. Let him decide the time and place, I will there.

He claims that he did not go through the draft. If he has not seen it, why is he making comments on major issues and misleading the people? Is it not against the Constitution?

'He says that I have no clarity on the issue but the fact is that it is the Congress which lacks clarity and is dividing the state for votes and seats. We want the Centre to do equal justice to people of all the regions and to halt the process of bifurcation till then.'

Naidu asserted that his party stood for state's division and had not changed its stance since 2009 and all it wanted was justice to the people of Seemandhra.

'What is the hurry? When the President has given time till January 23 to discuss the draft bill why is the Centre showing undue haste? Is there a need for the Centre to send the draft bill by a special flight?

Just because it has the power to bifurcate a state, will the Centre violate the Constitution and divide a state? The Centre is not taking the suggestions given by various committees on state bifurcation and is overlooking the views of even the attorney-general.

'In the next three months the UPA government is going to fall. How can such a government be allowed to divide a state? It would be better if the bifurcation process was halted and all the concerns were addressed,' Naidu said.