N.D. Tiwari denies involvement in 'sex scandal'

Hyderabad, Dec 25 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Governor N.D. Tiwari Friday denied media reports alleging his involvement in a sex scandal and termed them “malicious” even as women’s groups held demonstrations outside his official residence here demanding his resignation. The opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader N. Chandrababu Naidu has also sought the 86-year-old Tiwari’s resignation for “unbecoming conduct”. Ravi Shankar, Tiwari’s lawyer told CNN-IBN news channel that the allegations were “a tissue of lies” and they had slapped a legal notice on the media house that telecast clips purportedly showing the governor in compromising position along with three young women in his bedroom. ABN channel, owned by Telugu daily Andhra Jyothi, telecast the story in the morning to shocked viewers. The state high court later issued an order restraining the channel from telecasting the “demeaning” story. Hours after the TV channel aired footage of the alleged sex scandal, a group of 50 odd women descended on the Raj Bhawan demanding action against the governor. Police quickly hustled away the protesting women. A dozen activists of the All India Democratic Women’s Organisation and Progressive Women’s Organisation were arrested. A statement issued from Raj Bhavan Friday evening said the governor was disturbed at the attempts to malign him. The statement signed by Aryandra Sharma, officer on special duty to the governor, said: “All other media/news channels have been informed of the facts with a request not to take cognizance of fabricated, false and malicious news story attempting to tarnish the image of the Hon’ble Governor.” “There is absolutely no truth in the alleged news story which is nothing but sensation mongering and in poor taste. It is nothing but a tissue of lies,” it added. “The Governor Shri Narayan Datt Tiwariji is 86 years old and in the evening of his life. The office of the Governor is constantly under public scrutiny and entirely above board.” “It is sad and unfortunate that constitutional functionaries are dragged into needless controversy with utter disregard to propriety as well as deference to be shown to the age which is part of our culture and tradition,” it said. The Andhra Pradesh High Court, acting on a public suit, issued an injunction against showing the pictures, a couple of hours after the ABN channel aired the clips. The channel quoted Radhika, a woman from Uttarakhand, as saying that she sent the young women to the Raj Bhavan on Tiwari’s request through his aide. The woman said she was exposing the governor as he failed to provide her an iron ore mining licence in Andhra Pradesh. TDP chief Naidu told a news conference that Tiwari should resign or the central government should sack him for bringing shame to the “sacred office of the governor”. The former chief minister also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the scandal as some MPs were also allegedly involved.