Telangana: With Proactive Approach, Governor Tamilisai Puts KCR in Tight Spot

Hyderabad: Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan's activities – from visiting COVID-19 patients and holding 'janata darbars' (open house)  – during the pandemic have sparked an animated discussion in political circles. Her proactive approach is being contrasted with the seemingly 'feudal' way the administration led by chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has been functioning, with some even drawing parallels to the Nizam's approach.

Street corners and WhatsApp chats say that while the Nizam ran the administration from his “gadi” (fortress) and his royal palaces, Rao is overseeing his government's handling of the COVID-19 crisis from the Pragati Bhavan, his official residence in the state capital. While KCR, as Rao is popularly known, remains inaccessible to the public, Soundararajan has met several COVID-19 patients and has taken on board complaints about the handling of the crisis.

The BJP has also readily seized the opportunity to criticise the chief minister's withdrawn approach. A few days after Soundararajan's visit to the two hospitals where patients are being treated, BJP national president J.P. Nadda addressed a virtual rally, accusing KCR of poorly handling the outbreak of COVID-19 and targeting his administration's alleged 'corrupt activities'. Telangana’s health minister Eatala Rajender responded with a caustic remark, saying the BJP chief criticism was akin to a "gully leader" (street leaders with little stature).

Tamilisai Soundararajan with Telangana chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. Photo: PTI

This remark presented the BJP with another chance to target KCR. The saffron party's leaders were eager to point out that during this crisis, leaders need to be accessible.

Even in the case of Colonel Santosh Babu, who was one of the 20 Indian soldiers killed in a violent clash with China, it was the governor who first reached out to the family members.

The 59-year old Soundararajan, who was earlier the president of BJP's Tamil Nadu state unit, has been longing to hold “janata darbars” on public grievances. After the outbreak of COVID-19, the governor has been eager to listen to patients, many of whom have complained about the government's handling of the crisis.

KCR's government has come under criticism from several quarters. While opposition parties have accused the state government of not doing enough to contain the virus, the Telangana high court has also made some observations on the government’s performance. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government has been accused of brushing the alarming incidence of COVID-19 deaths and positive cases under the carpet, allegedly to save the “brand image” of Hyderabad as a safe destination for investors.

Also Read: KCR Scorns Media, but Doctors’ Protest Reveals Lapses in Government Handling of COVID

Raj Bhavan as an alternative power centre?

The governor, in her capacity as the chancellor of state universities, has conducted virtual meetings with the administrations of the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University and Palamuru University. During these meeting, she apparently highlighted the need to promote research activities and employability skills among students.

Is the governor trying to shift her position from that of an advisor to the government to an advocacy role? Analysts say that because Soundararajan was actively associated with the BJP in the past and with the saffron party turning its attention to the state after its impressive performance in the general elections last year, her active approach is no surprise.

K. Nageswar, a commentator, sees a marked different in relations between the governor and the TRS government after Soundararajan took up the assignment. KCR had enjoyed a sense of bonhomie with the previous governor, E.S.L. Narasimhan. Geniality with the governor was viewed as a reward for KCR’s maintaining relatively friendly relations with the Narendra Modi government's first term. The TRS backed many major moves by the NDA government, such as demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax.

However, the BJP's performance in Telangana in the 2019 general elections forced KCR to change his stance towards the saffron party. The chief minister did not want to cede ground to the BJP in his state, with the latter emerging as a force to reckon with by winning four of the state's 17 Lok Sabha seats and also 20% of the votes.

Subsequently, Rao began to up the ante, demanding a fair share of the revenues to the states from the Centre. He also sees Modi’s government as being increasingly authoritarian.

The BJP top brass then deployed Soundararajan as Narasimhan's replacement in Telangana’s Raj Bhavan. With her active role, Soundararajan joins a list of hawkish governors who have been installed in opposition-ruled states. In Maharastra and West Bengal, the governors —Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Jagdeep Dhankhar—are on a collision course with the state governments headed by Uddhav Thackeray and Mamata Benerjee. Incidentally, all these governors were the political appointees whose posting was seen as a reward for their contributions to the saffron party.

West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Photo: PTI

All the three governors have criticised their state governments for their alleged mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Soundararjan has also been amplifying the criticism of opposition leaders by meeting them and accepting representations. The governor's readiness to meet opposition leaders who complain about the government has given rise to suspicion among the TRS that the Raj Bhavan is emerging as an alternative power centre in the state.

However, Telangana Planning Board vice-chairman and former TRS MP Boyinapalli Vinod Kumar ruled out the prospects of such a development. “The Governor is head of the State and we have no such feelings,” he added.

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