Budget stalemate resolved, Telangana Governor, Govt take tentative steps towards each other

In fact, a day after Soundararajan agreed to approve the draft budget – after the state government had acquiesced to her address at the beginning of the Budget Session – she wrote to the government seeking clarification on its remission of sentence of 80 prisoners. The BRS government had sent the list of prisoners to be released last year, some time before Independence Day. The Governor had not approved the list so far, and now – nearly five months later – has sent a note asking the government to re-examine whether all the prisoners were eligible for release or not.

But, later on Tuesday, Soundararajan approved the GST (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which had been pending with her for six months. In discussions with Special Chief Secretary (Finance) K Ramakrishna Rao on Monday, she is also learnt to have assured that she would clear all the Bills, after she finishes going through them.

The Bills still pending with the Governor include the Telangana State Private Universities Amendment Bill; Azamabad Industrial (Termination and Regulation of Leases) Bill, 2022; Telangana Municipal Laws Bill, 2022; and Telangana Forest University Bill, which were sent to her after the Assembly session in September. The Governor has been saying that she has sought clarifications from various departments regarding the content of the Bills, and is still waiting for the same.

The government is hopeful that the ties with the Governor are set to turn a corner. A BRS minister said: “The Governor has turned the Raj Bhavan into a political drama. She speaks like a BJP spokesperson, criticising and interfering in government functioning unnecessarily. It has created a very unpleasant situation. We are hoping that the resolution over approval of the Budget is the beginning of cordial relations.”

The state government has also indicated it is ready to address Soundararajan’s complaint about not being extended protocol and other courtesies. On Monday, when she went to Bapu Ghat to pay floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, senior minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Home Minister M Mahmood Ali and Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumari were there to receive her.

The government had gone to the high court over the budget stalemate, faced with a constitutional crisis that Soundararajan might not approve the draft, even as the countdown to the session began. As per the norm, the state government sends the draft budget to the Governor, who sends it back with an approval and it is then presented in the Legislative Assembly. The government sent the draft budget file this time to the Governor on January 21, to which Soundararajan replied asking whether there was provision for the Governor’s address at the start of the Budget Session. As the state government did not reply, the Governor kept the approval pending.

Soundararajan was going by the example of last year, when the state government conducted the Budget Session without the customary address by the Governor. The government argued at the time that since the previous Monsoon Session had not been prorogued, the Governor’s speech was not needed.

As the court began its hearing, Advocate General B S Prasad asked how it could issue a notice to the Governor. Supreme Court senior counsel Dushyant Dave appeared for the state government.

After hearing the arguments, the court suggested that the two sides resolve the issue by dialogue. They then decided to reach a compromise, with the government agreeing to a speech by Soundararajan at the beginning of the Budget Session, and the Advocate General testifying that the Governor would approve the draft budget immediately.

The government then withdrew the petition and the case was dismissed.