Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Ending all speculations President Pratibha Patil on Sunday accepted the resignation of Andhra Pradesh Governor ND Tiwari, says a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique.
Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Governor ESL Narasimhan has been given additional charge of Andhra Pradesh.
"The President of India has accepted the resignation of
Narayan Datt Tiwari as Governor of Andhra Pradesh and has
appointed E S L Narasimhan, Governor of Chhattisgarh to
discharge the functions of the Governor of Andhra Pradesh in
addition to his own duties, until regular arrangements for the
office of the Governor of Andhra Pradesh are made," a
communique from Rashtrapati Bhavan said.
In the wake of a sting operation purportedly showing ND Tiwari in a compromising position with women, his resignation was on Saturday forwarded to the Central government by the President.
The resignation of 86-year-old Tiwari was sent by Patil's office to the government after it was received from the office of Andhra Pradesh Governor.
Tiwari sent his resignation to President Pratibha Patil citing health reasons.
Confirming Tiwari’s resignation, Christy Fernandez, the President's secretary, said that "Yes, he sent in his resignation to President Pratibha Patil.”
The Congress-led UPA government at the Centre was mulling action against the Andhra Pradesh Governor.
Governor Tiwari had on Thursday 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 in Hyderabad demanding his resignation.
Ravi Shankar, Tiwari's lawyer had termed the allegations a “tissue of lies" and 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 on Saturday morning to shocked viewers.
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.
The state High Court later issued an order restraining the channel from telecasting the "demeaning" story.
The Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader N Chandrababu Naidu had also sought the 86-year-old Tiwari's resignation for "unbecoming conduct".
The BJP too had demanded that Tiwari quit from the constitutional post.
First Published: Sunday, December 27, 2009, 17:38