Hyderabad: An active politician, TN BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan, has been appointed Governor of Telangana state at a time when the BJP is making a serious bid to defeat the TRS in the state in the 2023 elections.
This is bringing back memories of the days when Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s Congress government at the Centre posted Kumudben Joshi when TD founder N.T. Rama Rao was Chief Minister in 1985.
If Ms Joshi was appointed to create hurdles and problems for NTR, she certainly succeeded in keeping him busy. There were allegations that the Raj Bhavan had become a Congress office. With the BJP leadership apparently thinking on the same lines, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and the TRS government could difficult days.
Ms Joshi was Governor of united AP from November 26, 1985, to February 7, 1990. Like Dr Soundararajan, she was an active politician in the Congress.
Soon after taking charge, she travelled to all 23 districts in the state on a record 108 occasions.
NTR and TD leaders felt that it was an attempt to build a stronger base for the Congress. She was more accessible to Congress leaders and some of them used to visit the Raj Bhavan every day. The differences between NTR and Kumudben Joshi came out openly when she decided to visit Srikakulam district NTR asked his partymen and officials stay away from her functions there. This became the template for her visits to other districts. She almost ran a parallel government at the Raj Bhavan, calling officials and vice-chancellors of several universities for discussions.
After Dr Soundararajan takes charge as Governor, she is expected to be more accessible to BJP leaders who can escalate every issue against the TRS government. This could create problems for Mr Rao’s government. Mr Rao has enjoyed cordial relations with Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, meeting him regularly to discuss major issues.
