In a scathing counter attack over the alleged data theft of voters that has hit headlines in the two Telugu states, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday warned the Telangana government that if it files one case, he will respond with four cases.
Taking to Twitter, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President said that he would not keep quiet if raids were conducted in the name of data theft.
Alleging that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government was stealing TDP data and passing it on to YSRCP for misuse in the upcoming elections, he accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and YSRCP President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy of working together in a conspiracy to damage the TDP.
Naidu's reaction came after police in Hyderabad registered a case against IT Grids, a firm providing IT services to the TDP, for alleged data theft.
Cyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar said on Monday that the Hyderabad-based company had access to personal and sensitive data of Andhra Pradesh people and it was using this for 'Sevamitra', an app developed by the firm for the TDP. Police suspect that the data was being misused for voter profiling to delete names of “anti-TDP” voters.
Stating that police would not spare the accused, irrespective of the positions they were holding, the Police Commissioner did not rule out booking more people in the case.
The TDP chief, however, alleged that it was a conspiracy to steal TDP's data. Naidu pointed out that his party had been storing the data from 1984. He claimed that he was the first Chief Minister in the country to use computer technology.
Stating that TRS was “playing a drama by kidnapping” four IT employees who were accused in the case, he warned that if the Telangana government continued to do this, not a single IT company would remain in Hyderabad.
He also reminded the TRS that Hyderabad was a common capital for 10 years, under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014.
Naidu wondered how Telangana can register a case about Andhra Pradesh data on a complaint by some individual.
"If anybody is stealing our government data, will Hyderabad police protect it," he asked.
Naidu also came down heavily on election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, saying a man from Bihar was behind the conspiracy to delete eligible voters from the voters list.
డేటా పేరుతో దాడులు చేస్తే చూస్తూ ఊరుకుంటామనుకుంటున్నారేమో, డేటా అనేది పార్టీ వ్యక్తిగత విషయం. అందులో తలదూర్చితే మీ అందరి మూలాలు కదులుతాయి. మీరు చేస్తోన్న నేరాలకు తగిన మూల్యం చెల్లించుకోవాల్సి వస్తుంది జాగ్రత్త.
— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) March 4, 2019
ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ డేటాపై కేసులు పెట్టేందుకు తెలంగాణ పోలీసులు ఎవరు? ఎవరో దారిన పోయిన దానయ్య ఫిర్యాదు చేస్తే, డేటా ఉంది కదా అని ఇక్కడి ఐటీ కంపెనీలపై దాడి చేస్తారా? ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌పై కుట్రలు చేస్తూ తెలంగాణ పోలీసులు కాపాడతారని డ్రామాలు చేస్తారా?
— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) March 4, 2019
బీహార్ నుంచి వచ్చిన ఓ వ్యక్తి వైసీపీకి కన్సల్టెంట్‌గా వ్యవహరిస్తున్నారు. 8 లక్షల టిడిపి ఓట్లను తొలగించారు. అందుకోసం ఫామ్‌-7 వినియోగించారు. చూస్తుంటే రేపు నా ఓటును కూడా తొలగిస్తారేమో!
— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) March 4, 2019
He said the government would deal firmly with the conspiracy to delete the names of voters and warned that those indulging in cyber crimes would be jailed.
The TDP leader alleged that 8 lakh votes were deleted by using Form-7. "It looks as if they will remove my vote too," he remarked.
Read:
IANS inputs