For the second consecutive day, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan lashed out at the Telangana Rashtra Samithi government for insulting the institution of the Governor by denying her the protocol she deserved in her official capacity.
“Wherever I have to go in the state, there is no other way except to go by road, despite having the authority to travel by helicopter. But the government has not been providing the facility. Is it right on the part of the government?” she asked, while speaking to reporters in New Delhi after meeting Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday.
She reminded that she had travelled by car for five hours to go to Medaram jatara in February. “I will attend the Sri Rama Kalyanam at Bhadrachalam on April 10. I will have to go by either train or car for more than 300 km. I will do that,” she said.
Tamilisai took strong exception to the allegation of Telangana minister G Jagadish Reddy that she was acting like a Bharatiya Janata Party leader and had allowed the BJP leaders to use Raj Bhavan to target the TRS government.
“This is ridiculous. Have I ever carried a BJP flag with me? Have I ever taken the BJP leaders along with me wherever I went? I have met leaders of all the parties including the Congress and the TRS. How can I be called a BJP worker?” she asked.
The Governor reminded that she had personally invited the TRS leaders including the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues for the Ugadi celebrations at Raj Bhavan.
“Everybody attended the Ugadi celebrations. Why didn’t they come?” she asked.
Tamilisai said she had explained the controversy over denial of protocol to her and other issues related to the state to Amit Shah.
“I always think in a constructive way and whatever I spoke or did, it was for the welfare of the people of Telangana,” she said.
She said if the chief secretary had any issue with her, he could talk to her.
“The doors of Raj Bhavan are always open for the chief minister, his cabinet colleagues and officials. If there is any issue to be sorted out, I am ready for it. This is not the issue of Tamilisai. It is the humiliation caused to the office of the Governor,” she said.
She alleged that the TRS government was deliberately insulting the Governor.
“I am not criticising anybody, but is only expressing my anguish. This is not the way to treat the Raj Bhavan and a Lady Governor. I have treated everybody as a sister. But they chose to insult a sister,” she regretted.
