Last Updated: January 31, 2023, 16:32 IST
Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundarajan has also alleged her phone calls were being tapped by the KCR government. (Image: Twitter/ANI/File)
The tiff between Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao and governor Tamilisai Soundararajan had reached a stage in which the government had to file a lunch motion in the high court to make the governor give her assent to the budget
The trouble between Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao and governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan does not seem to end, with the latter suggesting changes to the budget speech she was handed over by the state government.
According to sources, the governor asked the minister of Legislative Affairs, V Prashanth Reddy, to stick to facts in the speech. The minister has reportedly agreed to the suggestions. Meanwhile, the governor gave the green signal to six bills that were lying pending with her for many months now.
With Dr Tamilisai finally poised to make the customary speech at the budget session of legislature, the governor seems to have scored another round of victory against CM Rao.
The tiff between the two had reached a stage in which the government had to file a lunch motion in the high court to make the governor give her assent to the budget. Though the government had sent her the budget on time for approval, Dr Tamilisai did not get back to them. This made the state government nervous as the budget session is set to begin on February 3.
The judge chastised the government for bringing such matters to court and the two parties finally reached an amicable settlement. It was decided that the governor would address the budget session on February 3. She did not get this opportunity last year, causing a widening rift between her office and the government. However, she fought for this right this time.
On January 30, she issued a notification summoning the second Telangana Legislative Assembly to meet for its fourth meeting on February 3 at 12:10 pm.
This victory comes when the high court directed the Telangana government to celebrate Republic Day as per protocol. Like last year, the chief minister went for a low-key celebration this time. It also did not give the governor the chance to address the ceremonial police parade held on the day. The governor had lashed out time and again against the KCR government for not following the protocol.
In a veiled attack on the governor recently, MAUD and IT minister K Taraka Rama Rao said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was misusing the office of the governor to harass states ruled by Opposition. He called for the abolishment of governor system. “Even if it continues, only those who stay away from active politics for two years should be appointed as governors,” he added. In her Republic Day speech, the governor had praised the Modi government for building national highways and Vande Bharat trains.
Backstory
When the governor finished three years in office last September, she made the sensational claim that the Telangana government had humiliated her office time and again. From not following protocol on the Republic Day and budget session to not providing her a helicopter to visit the Medaram Jataram, Dr Tamilisai brought in many allegations against the KCR government.
She alleged that the state was being discriminatory towards a woman governor.
In another sensational development two months later, she said her phone calls were being tapped by the KCR government. She made the statement after alleging that the TRS government was dragging her name in the MLA poaching scandal without any proof.
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