Centre Not Diluting T-Govt's Rights: Rajnath Singh

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday claimed that the Central Government was not interfering with the rights of Telangana.

Making a statement in the Lok Sabha on granting special powers over law & order in Hyderabad to the Governor, Singh said that the Centre understands the sensitivity of relationship between the Centre and the States, and would maintain cordial relations with all the States in the country.

However, he said that the Centre had only issued an advisory to Telangana government over Section 8 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014, wherein the Governor had been assigned the responsibility of protecting the residents of common capital of Hyderabad.

He read out the excerpts of Section 8 to convey that the Governor would consult the Council of Ministers of Telangana, although his decision on the action to be taken would be final.

"The responsibility of the Governor shall extend to matters such as law and order, internal security and security of vital installations, and management and allocation of government buildings in the common capital area," reads a para in Section 8 of the Act.

Amid uproar by the TRS MPs, Singh said that the Telangana Bill was prepared by the previous UPA government, and his government was only implementing the Act.

He reiterated that Centre has only issued an advisory, and was not trying to encroach upon the rights of Telangana. (INN)