VIJAYAWADA: Locking horns with the Election Commission, the TDP government in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday cancelled the transfer of intelligence DG A B Venkateshwar Rao. The state government also moved the AP high court against the EC’s decision to transfer the intelligence chief and SPs of Kadapa and Srikakulam, Rahul Dev Sharma and A Venkata Ratnam respectively.AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu also wrote to the EC headquarters in Delhi and objected to the transfers by describing them as arbitrary and without any reason. He accused PM Narendra Modi, Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao and YSRCP chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy of being behind the transfers.The EC had ordered the transfers following a complaint by YSR Congress MP V Vijaysai Reddy who alleged that the cops were acting as ‘TDP agents’. The state government had initially followed the EC’s order and transferred the cops on Tuesday. But on Wednesday, the TDP government issued another GO cancelling the transfer of intelligence DG Rao.In its petition before the HC, the state government argued that the EC did not have the jurisdiction to transfer the intelligence chief as he was not involved in poll duties.Naidu later alleged Jagan and his family were afraid their role in the brutal murder of YS Vivekananda Reddy would be exposed which is why they were resorting to such diversionary tactics. “There is not even a single complaint or criticism against Kadapa SP Rahul Dev Sharma who is heading the probe into Vivekananda murder and he gets transferred at a crucial time of the investigation. Intelligence DG does not come under the EC purview, but he too is transferred,” Naidu said at a public meeting.Advocate general Dammalapati Srinivas said the DG (intelligence) was not a designated officer under Section 28A of the Representation of People Act, 1951. The same was intimated in reply to the EC’s March 15 letter in which it had asked chief secretaries of all states to send the list of designated officers, he argued.

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