The DMK mouthpiece giving the example of Telangana’s Tamilisai Soundarajanto warn about the “fate that could await governors” in the country could mark a sharp escalation in the deterioration of her relationship with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi government in the state.
Just days earlier, Soundarajan, speaking at an event at Raj Bhavan to mark the beginning of her fourth year as Telangana Governor, accused the TRS government of humiliating the office. “I was not allowed to hoist the national flag on the 75th Independence Day. I was not allowed the Governor’s address. Wherever I go, protocol is not followed. District Collectors and district police chiefs do not turn up when I visit… But now I don’t care. History will be written on how a woman governor was discriminated against and mistreated in Telangana.”
The reason the DMK appeared to intervene on behalf of the TRS government was not too difficult to guess, given the warming relationship between the two parties as Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao seeks allies to build a national profile. The DMK mouthpiece referred to Soundarajan, while saying that governors must work with state governments.
While ties between the Modi government-appointed Soundarajan and the KCR government have been frosty, things have taken a turn for the worse since the Governor decided to hold “praja darbars” at Raj Bhavan. Soundarajan said she would “seek grievances” from the people and forward the same to the government.
For nine months, KCR had not been to Raj Bhavan, till on June 28, he attended the swearing-in of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan as the Chief Justice of Telangana High Court.
With the TRS seeing the BJP as a rising threat in the state, the party accuses Soundarajan of acting at the behest of the BJP. Several ministers have accused her of disrespecting a popularly elected government by denying routine requests and of bypassing the government. The fact that many BJP government-appointed governors are in conflict with Opposition-ruled state regimes has strengthened their apprehensions.
Last August, Soundararajan rejected the KCR government’s nomination of former Congress leader P Kaushik Reddy as an MLC from the governor’s quota. The CM could then get Reddy in as MLC only after almost four months.
Story continues below this ad
“No governor does that unless they have political intentions. Our suggestion to the Governor has always been to give respect and get respect,’’ Minister T Srinivas Yadav says, also accusing her of delivering a Republic Day speech “that was neither shown to the government nor approved by it”, violating norms. “The Governor’s media conferences turn into state government-bashing and politically-motivated criticism,” Yadav says.
Recently, Soundarajan again clashed with the state government when she visited women patients who had developed complications after tubectomy at a government hospital. She later said she visited to give the patients “moral support”. “As a doctor, I was moved at seeing their pathetic condition… They are under tremendous distress and shock… Moved by their plight, I immediately sanctioned financial assistance of Rs 10,000 to each of the 11 patients from my discretionary grants.”
TRS leaders saw this as a political stunt to embarrass the state government, saying it was already providing the best possible treatment and care to the women.
In her recent speech to mark completion of four years as Governor, Soundarajan also asked why KCR had not attended the Southern Zonal Meeting held by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “Most of the issues that were raised and discussed were of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, so why did the Telangana CM not attend? Why didn’t the CM use the opportunity to work with the Centre?”
Story continues below this ad
She also claimed that she always informs the government and respective departments through proper channels before her initiatives, but that she never gets any response. “I do not know whether they take action. They do not communicate. When I organise a programme and invite ministers and others, they do not even bother to inform me that they won’t attend.”
Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.
Expertise and Experience
Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues:
High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules.
Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes.
Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak.
Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More
