KCR to go on fast if Section 8 is invoked

At a meeting with Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma and officials of his office, Mr. Rao expressed displeasure over the proposal.

Irked by media reports that Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi has given an opinion that Andhra Pradesh and Telangana common Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan has the powers to invoke section 8 of the A.P. Reorganisation Act on law and order in Hyderabad, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has not ruled out going on a fast in New Delhi.

Highly placed sources in the Chief Minister’s office told The Hindu on Tuesday that Mr. Rao termed the move a question of ‘self-respect’ of the people of Telangana. “If the Centre insists on taking away the law and order powers of Telangana, I will launch a fast in New Delhi,” he said at a meeting late on Monday night.

At a meeting with Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma and officials of his office, Mr. Rao is said to have expressed strong displeasure on the proposal.

“I will not keep quiet, if such a decision is taken by the Centre. I will write to all the Chief Ministers and seek their support on the issue. I will build a national movement on the issue,” he was quoted as telling the officials.

The Chief Minister reportedly questioned whether in a federal system, the Centre could take away the law and order powers of a duly elected Government.

“We will make this an election issue in Bihar. If states like Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh start demanding new powers in Bihar and Madya Pradesh, who will keep quiet,” he said at the meeting.

Mr. Rao, the sources said, made it clear that during his meeting with the Governor, he would tell in no uncertain terms that such a proposal was not acceptable to the Telangana government.

It may be mentioned here that Attorney General is believed to have communicated to the Governor his opinion over invocation of Section 8.

As per Section 8, the responsibility of the Governor shall extend to matters such as law and order and internal security in the common capital area.

The section also specifies that in ‘discharge’ of the functions, the Governor shall, after consulting the Council of Ministers of the State of Telangana, exercise his individual judgement as to the action to be taken.