Apparently jittery over the speed with which the National Investigation Agency has taken up the investigation into the attack on the life of YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu questioned the undue interference by the Centre.
Naidu wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday expressed surprise over the Centre entrusting a “trivial” and “insignificant” case of a small incident that happened at Visakhapatnam airport to a prestigious investigation agency like NIA, without even taking into consideration the objections raised by the State government.
He reminded that NIA would be dealing with the terror-related cases, smuggling of drugs and currency from other countries and infiltration from across the borders.
He also recalled the statement of Modi made in the past objecting to the formation of NIA, saying it was in violation of the federal spirit of the constitution, as it would take away the law and order powers from the state.
Naidu also pointed out that when an Andhra Pradesh engineer died in a bomb explosion in Tamil Nadu in May 2014, the Centre tried to assign the case to the NIA, but had withdrawn the same after strong protest from the Tamil Nadu government.
“It is surprising as to why the Centre has entrusted the probe into a petty incident that happened at Visakhapatnam to NIA now?” he asked.
Accusing the Centre of using the investigating agencies to trouble the political opponents and protect the “blue-eyed boys,” Naidu demanded that the Union home ministry immediately recall the order on the NIA probe into the attack on Jagan.