No govt data stolen, Telangana govt portraying to be victim: Andhra govt

The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet Tuesday claimed no government data had been stolen as it took a "very serious" view of a senior Telangana police official's remarks on the alleged data theft through a mobile app of the ruling Telugu Desam Party. It decided to explore options for legal action against Cyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar over his comments on the investigation into the case at a press conference in Hyderabad Monday, state Information and Public Relations Minister Kalava Srinivasulu said.

While Sajjanar had said the preliminary investigation into the case revealed the company got "illegal" access to the data, the AP Cabinet maintained that no data had been stolen. They (Telangana government) are trying to portray the victim as the accused. This is atrocious and malafide. There is no theft of data. The Telangana government, its police system and some officers within it are acting in an illegal manner, the Andhra Pradesh Minister alleged.

An official should not speak like this against another (state) government. His remarks and behaviour could cause friction between the two governments. We are treating his remarks against our government very seriously, he said. Srinivasulu was briefing the media on the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu here.

If someone oversteps his brief as per the Constitution, there is scope for legal action. Everyone has a limited role under the Constitution. How our future course of action should be and how we should expose them has been discussed in the Cabinet meeting. We will disclose the details soon, he added. The TDP government would utilise all options available under the law, the Minister said.

The Cyberabad police had on Saturday registered a case against Hyderabad-based IT Grids India Pvt Ltd the company and conducted searches at its office here based on a complaint by a data analyst that TDP cadre was using "Seva Mitra" app for collecting data of Andhra Pradesh voters and "advancing their party's electoral prospects". Srinivasulu accused the Telangana government of trying to steal data and pass it on to a rival political party, in an oblique reference to the YSR Congress party.

Naidu had Monday alleged a cyber conspiracy to help the YSR Congress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and KCR (Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao were helping Jaganmohan Reddy of YSR Congress in executing this 'cyber conspiracy', he had alleged in his teleconference with TDP party leaders. "It is atrocious to steal our data and give it to our rivals," he had said.

(With inputs from agencies.)