NE NEWS SERVICE
PUDUCHERRY, MARCH 8
Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Tuesday said she “did not make a fuss” about the presentation of state budget on Monday without the customary Governor’s address, and that she okayed it keeping in mind implementation of public welfare schemes.
Soundararajan, also Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, said that while everyone makes tall claims on equal rights of women, there were however, some unsavoury incidents and they deprive women of their rights. Inaugurating the “International Women’s Day” celebrations here by the Puducherry administration and making a case in point, she referred to the situation in Telangana, saying the budget was presented on Monday in that state Assembly without the customary address by the Governor, i.e. herself.
She said a technical reason cited for the presentation of budget was that the earlier session was only adjourned and not prorogued. “But, I did not make a fuss as I am interested in the implementation of public welfare schemes and I signed the file for presentation of the budget in the Assembly,” she said.
The issue had led to yet another war of words between the ruling TRS in Telangana and the opposition BJP.
Last week, referring to Chief Minister and TRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao’s recent comments favouring a new Constitution in the country, Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar had said “KCR is already giving a sense of what he wants in a re-written Constitution. No rules, no traditions–only whims. I strongly condemn his decision to do away with Governor’s speech.”
State Legislative Affairs Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy had then said the Governor’s address was not happening as the budget session is a continuation of the previous session which has not been prorogued. Citing Constitutional provisions, he said the Governor is supposed to address the Legislature when a new session takes place in a calendar year.