TS Guv unhappy with state's decision to drop Governor's address from Budget Session

Hyderabad: Differences between the Telangana Governor and the TRS-led state government came to the fore on Saturday when she expressed displeasure over the decision of the state government to commence the Budget Session of the legislature from 7 March without the customary Governor's address.

Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan reacted for the first time after the state government announced its decision on 28 February to commence the session without the Governor's address as it contended that it was a continuation of the previous session.

A statement to this effect issued by the Governor was posted on Saturday night on a WhatsApp group in which government press releases are shared daily by the state's information department officials. However, it was deleted soon after.

It was not immediately clear whether Raj Bhavan media officials had shared the statement with media persons.

The Governor had said in the statement, "By not holding the Governor's address in this Budget Session, the Members now stand to lose out on the opportunity to discuss the previous year's performance of the government.

"I, however, respecting the constitutional convention and going beyond political considerations and keeping up with the spirit of cooperative federalism, have conveyed my recommendation for the introduction of the Financial Bill. I had the liberty to take my time to give my recommendation. But knowing well that people's welfare is involved, I gave my recommendation without any time lag," she said.

The opposition BJP and Congress had earlier this week attacked the TRS government for not scheduling the customary Governor's address during the Budget Session which begins next Monday.

Taking exception to the comments of BJP leaders, the state Legislative Affairs minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy said the Governor's address is not taking place as the Budget Session is a continuation of the previous session.