Partner turns NDT whistleblower

Sarika’s association with Tiwari was mutually beneficial. During his tenure as chief minister of Uttarakhand, Tiwari’s alleged relation with her was the talk of the town. He had even granted her the status of minister of state. Tiwari’s proximity with Sarika had echoed in the songs of famous folk singer S S Negi. Clearing the air over Tiwari’s fate, President Pratibha Patil on Sunday accepted his resignation. A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said Chhattisgarh Governor ESL Narasimhan would assume additional charge of Andhra Pradesh from Monday.

Meanwhile, several political parties and women’s organisations in Andhra Pradesh demanded exemplary punishment for Tiwari.

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu demanded a CBI probe into the sex scandal, as the girls involved in it  had named some ruling party MPs too. “This is the first time in the country’s history that a governor had to resign on allegations of involvement in a sex scandal which brought shame not just to the office he held but to the entire civilised society,” Naidu said.

Women’s groups demanded that a criminal case be lodged against Tiwari. The All India Democratic Women’s Association  demanded that Tiwari be arrested and tried.

Progressive Organisation of Women chief V Sandhya said norms of public behaviour were thrown to the winds once men assumed offices of power. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah and Chief Secretary Ravikanth Reddy formally gave a send-off to Tiwari on Sunday evening.

According to sources, a senior Congress leader, who represented the ‘anti-Tiwari faction’ in the party in Uttarakhand and was known to Sarika, had planted Sarika to get close to Tiwari to gather vital information.

It was also alleged in political circles that Sarika was planted in Tiwari's ‘inner circle’ by his opponents within the Congress.