Governor stalling Telangana’s development, alleges minister

Hyderabad: Telangana’s Finance and Health Minister T. Harish Rao on Thursday alleged that Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has been stalling the development of the state.

He said that the Governor calls Telangana as ‘My State’ and ‘My Government but was working to stop the development of the state. It was nothing but back-stabbing, he said.

In an informal chat with the reporters, he hit back at the Governor for certain comments she made during a programme the previous day.

Taking a dig at Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, she had remarked that it is easy to meet heads of foreign nations but not the Chief Minister.

Harish Rao said by making the comments during G-20 meeting, the Governor lowered the honour of the state. “This is nothing but humiliating people of the state,” he said.

He said that people were feeling that the Governor was acting under the guidance of the BJP and she was welcome to enter into politics instead of doing politics being in that seat

On the Governor’s allegation that she was not invited for the inauguration of state Secretariat, Harish Rao asked if there was a provision in the Constitution to invite the Governor for the inauguration of the Secretariat.

He said that it was the prerogative of the elected government to decide whom to invite. “Has the Prime Minister invited the President of India for laying foundation of new Parliament? Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Vande Bharat Express trains. Did he invite President of India,” he asked.

Harish Rao said that the Governor kept nine bills pending for seven months and some of them were returned only after the state government approached the Supreme Court.

By stopping the bills, the Governor stalled the state’s development, he alleged. “Medical bill was aimed at increasing the age limit of professors as we have shortage of professors. Similarly, Forest University Bill was stopped which provides employment for some unemployed and offers education to the youth. Same was the case with private universities Bill. By rejecting these bills what she had achieved except stopping the progress of the state,” he said.

He also questioned the Governor’s action in not giving consent for a bill for seven private universities while she had cleared a similar bill two years ago.

Referring to a common recruitment board, the minister said that it was there in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra and why it should not be so here.