Superhit? Centre not convinced!

ESL briefs Pranab, Rajnath on household survey

• NDA Govt monitoring its impact on Seemandhra people
• Will intervene if there is any need because of increasing tension
• Rajnath, ESL discuss TS opposition to special powers to Governor

New Delhi: Amidst the controversy over the holding of the household survey in Telangana, Governor ESL Narasimhan on Wednesday met President Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister Rajnath Singh and briefed him about the situation in the state, particularly in Hyderabad. He would be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.

Singh was apprised by Narasimhan of the law and order situation in Telangana and the steps taken by the state government to allay apprehensions among the people regarding the Intensive Household Survey, which was conducted on Tuesday to collect data on an estimated 84 lakh families living in the newly-created state. The Centre is seized of the matter and keeping a close eye on the situation arising out of the holding of the survey as it has raised suspicions among the Seemandhra-origin people, official sources said.

They said that during the 20-minute meeting, Narasimhan and Singh also discussed the issue of the Telangana government's defiance to a central government directive regarding special powers vested with the governor concerning law and order in Hyderabad.

The Governor and the Home Minister are said to have discussed the ways to avoid confrontation between the Centre and the Telangana government on such issues.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has dubbed the Home Ministry order as a "fascist act" and dashed off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to rescind it.