At Goa Statehood Day event, Telangana governor’s Hyderabad ‘liberation’ reference

The issue has also slowly emerged as a ground for political one-upmanship. Last September, the BJP, which had on several occasions hit out at the BRS for not commemorating the event, announced a year-long plan to observe 75 years of the “liberation of Hyderabad”.

At Tuesday’s programme at the Durbar Hall of the Raj Bhavan, Soundararajan said, “Goans living in Hyderabad have greatly enriched the culture and unique diversity of the state.” She felicitated obstetrician Evita Fernandez, who is the Chairperson of the Fernandez Foundation and Dr Srinivas Shenoy, a former professor of Jawaharlal Nehru Technology University (JNTU), for their contribution to promoting Goan culture and traditions. This was the first such official programme in the state.

The governor went on to speak of Goa’s cultural and tourism identity and said it held a special place in the country. She also spoke of the “beautiful beaches and serene natural locales of Goa” and how it was a “much sought-after tourist destination for nature lovers both from within and outside the country”.

Soundararajan commended the contribution made by the Goan community in the development of Hyderabad city and Telangana, adding that Goans who have made Hyderabad enriched the city’s culture and diversity. Several people from the Goan community in Hyderabad attended the event and shared their personal experiences.

Soundararajan has been caught up in a long-standing row with the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led government. In November, she expressed doubts that her phones were being tapped and said there was an “undemocratic situation” in the state. The state government has also repeatedly accused the Governor of delaying Bills. With the TRS seeing the BJP as a rising threat in the state, the party has accused Soundarajan of acting at the behest of the BJP.