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India-Pakistan

Andhra governor battles sex taint

2009-12-26

Amidst the continuous live coverage of bandhs, protests and resignations over Telangana, people woke up Christmas morning to shocking pictures aired by a local news channel of an old man in bed with three young women.

The Telugu news channel ABN telecast the pictures saying the man shown was the 84-year-old governor of Andhra, Narayan Dutt Tiwari.

Awright Narayan! Wotta stud!

A woman named Radhika sent the girls in return for mining projects she was promised, the channel said. As the promise was not kept, she handed over some pictures taken by her. The man in the pictures is wearing only a shirt and lying on his back, between two women. The third woman is at his feet.

Tiwari's office called the pictures a "pack of lies" and speedily obtained an order from the high court preventing the channel from running them.

The story had been on air for almost an hour by then. Those who missed, caught it on YouTube and news sites.

By early afternoon protests started outside Raj Bhavan. Telugu Desam leader and former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu called for Tiwari's resignation saying the governor's office had been shamed. "If he doesn't quit," Naidu said, "he should be sacked."

"If it's really Tiwari in the pictures," said Congress sources in Delhi, "he will have to go."

Tiwari completed two years as Andhra governor in August. A long time Congress leader, he has been chief minister Uttarakhand and held several senior positions in the Union cabinet.

News channel ABN, which is owned by a popular Telugu daily Andhra Jyothi, also alleged the involvement of an Uttarakhand cadre officer. But did not elaborate.

In the evening, governor's office issued a statement saying, "The Governor is 86 years old and in the evening of his life. It is sad and unfortunate that constitutional functionaries are dragged into needless controversies."

Counsel for governor's office Ravishanker Jandhyala said, "There is absolutely no truth in the alleged news story, which is nothing but sensation mongering."

"We will definitely file a defamation case," he said, adding, "I issued a notice in the afternoon (to the channel)."

But the channel said it was ready to defend its story. "We have evidence (to back) what we have shown," Vemuri Radhakrishna, editor in chief of Andhra Jyothi, told Hindustan Times. "Let them serve defamation notice ... we are even ready to deal with the issue in the courts," he added.

"The footage shown is very recent (and) we got it from the victims," he said.

Posted by:john frum

#4 Eat more, er, curry....?

Posted by: Uncle Phester 2009-12-26 17:07

#3 go to your room, Daffy :-)

Posted by: Frank G 2009-12-26 15:32

#2 "...Battles Sex Taint"

Sex! Taint!

You know, there is almost no end to what could be done with that headline. But I am just going to back away slowly...

Posted by: Daffy Craviling9656 2009-12-26 15:00

#1 NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh governor N D Tiwari quit on Saturday late afternoon, a little over a day after allegations about his involvement in a sex romp in Raj Bhawan surfaced.

Congress sources say that Chhattisgarh governor ESL Narsimhan may get additional charge of Andhra Pradesh.

It is understood that Tiwari's fate was sealed by none other than President Pratibha Patil. The President, who is to arrive in Hyderabad on her annual southern sojourn on Sunday morning, had indicated that it would be untenable for her to come to the city with such allegations being made publicly. Patil would have been received by Tiwari at the airport.

Tiwari took the cue and with continued agitations outside Raj Bhavan by vociferous women activists realised that his position was untenable.

Indications from the Congress high command were also not very favourable for him. An emergency meeting was held earlier in the day over the sex tape issue.

Though Tiwari men had been aggressive on Friday morning soon after the tapes were telecast, by evening, their position had tempered down. This might have been with the realisation that the governor was absolutely defenceless with foolproof tapes available with the ABN Andhra Jyothi, the channel that telecast the episode. Also Tiwari and his aides realised that he had been done in by elements deep within his camp.

Times Now reported that the 86-year-old leader has cited health reasons for quitting.

He had also lately been overcome with fading memory and other indications of senility.

The Congress party welcomed Tiwaris resignation. "I think he has taken an appropriate decision keeping in view the high standards of public life. We welcome it," AICC media department chief Janardan Dwivedi told reporters in Delhi.

Posted by: john frum 2009-12-26 09:22

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