Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner on Thursday, asking him to issue instructions to the CEO of Andhra Pradesh not to interrupt the review meetings conducted by the government.
Last week, the Election Commission had imposed restrictions on the Chief Minister’s review meetings, citing the Model Code of Conduct. CEO of Andhra Pradesh Gopal Krishna Dwivedi had reportedly cautioned officials in the secretariat from reporting to ministers, including the CM, since the Model Code of Conduct is in force till May 23. TDP’s opposition in Andhra Pradesh, YSRCP, had written to the EC pointed out that when the MCC was in place, the CM and Ministers were barred from using government facilities, whether it was meeting halls or guesthouses.
In his letter, Naidu blamed the Election Commission for mismanaging the elections in Andhra Pradesh, and for acting on the complaints of the YSRCP while ignoring complaints filed by the TDP.
“Post elections, the citizens of the State expected that the normal administration shall resume since the elections are over and democratic governance shall prevail. As part of my Constitutional responsibilities, I decided to review various departments of public importance like drinking water, Polavaram project, construction of the new capital city and disaster management etc. But it was surprising and shocking to see the comments made by the CEO, Andhra Pradesh, that were released into the media. The CEO, Andhra Pradesh reportedly mentioned that the Chief Minister does not have powers to review the departments,” Naidu wrote in the letter.
Naidu stated that there is no provision in the Model Code of Conduct that the Chief Minister cannot hold review meetings. Pointing out that review meetings have continued to be held by the Prime Minister, as well as the Chief Minister of Telangana, Naidu wrote that the ECI was facilitating the functioning of states ruled by the BJP and its allies while preventing Andhra Pradesh from doing so.
“Though I am duty bound and empowered to conduct review meetings, I am constrained by the embarrassing apprehensions faced by the concerned participating officers due to the reported misinformation spread by the CEO in the media,” Naidu wrote.
He also mentioned that since there is a gap of 6 weeks between the conclusion of elections and the counting process, seasonal and time-bound works cannot be stalled. He also added that a delay in the execution of important projects can lead to loss of time and cost overruns, for which he said the ECI would be held responsible.