Bharat Rashtra Samithi president and Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s attempt to gain political mileage by merging the Telangana state road transport corporation (TSRTC) with the government has received a setback.
Reason: State Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan has refused to clear the draft bill on the merger of the corporation with the government, which was planning to get it passed in the ongoing monsoon session of the state assembly.
Since it is a money bill, it is mandatory for the government to take the approval of the Governor before introducing the same in the assembly and get it passed.
So, it sent the draft bill -- “the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (Absorption of Employees into Government Service) Bill, 2023 – to Tamilisai on Wednesday afternoon.
A shrewd leader that she is, Tamilisai did not give permission to the draft bill till Friday evening.
When the BRS leaders were talking critical about the same, she issued a clarification to the media stating that she had received the bill only hours before the commencement of the monsoon session of the assembly.
“It requires some more time to examine it and obtain legal opinion for taking a decision on the request,” the Governor said.
Since the monsoon session is coming to a close on Sunday, it is doubtful that Tamilisai will give clearance to the draft bill. Apparently, she said she had to consult the legal experts and take their opinion before giving the approval.
Interestingly, the ongoing monsoon session is the last session of the BRS government for its second stint, as there is no possibility of holding another session before November, when the elections are due.
So, the RTC bill is going to get lapsed and the BRS won’t be able to get any mileage in the elections. And that is what the Governor wants!
