Hyderabad: Former Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, currently the BJP’s South Chennai Lok Sabha candidate, told Deccan Chronicle that she was discriminated against by the then BRS government of K. Chandrashekar Rao because she was a woman. She also accused the then government of ignoring her protocol requirements.
She spoke about her candidacy, Tamil Nadu and the feud with the BRS when she was the First Citizen of the state and her love for Telangana in an interview on Tuesday.
Excerpts:
Q. How does it feel to become a politician after serving as Governor?
I feel very happy. I love the people of Telangana. The bond formed between me and the people here cannot be broken. It will stay with me forever. Despite the previous government being hostile towards me, the people were always supportive. The people treated me as their own sister, and their affection towards me is immense. During the Nw Year open house celebrations, nearly 4,500 people came to greet me. It shows the immense support I have from the people here.
Q. Why was there turmoil between the previous BRS government and Raj Bhavan when you were Governor?
First of all, the BRS government did not have respect for a woman Governor. They were unable to accept me as Governor. KCR used to visit the Raj Bhavan every week and take the previous Governor’s blessings. But KCR rarely, maybe just three or four times, met me at Raj Bhavan. When we compare it to other states, it feels discriminatory. They never followed protocol and never respected the Governor’s office. They never provided any transport for me to travel. When I had to go to a distant location, I went in my car or in a train. Whenever I went to universities or hostels, I wrote to him about the conditions there but KCR never responded. The relationship he maintained with the Governor will go down in Telangana’s history.
Q. There was talk that you were speaking the language of the BJP when you were Governor.
I completely deny it. I am a responsible person. I have been in social life for more than 25 years, and I come from a political family. I know the difference between what is Governorship and what is the political arena. It was the BRS that had the doubt from the beginning. Before I came here, the official public relations officer wrote, ‘Politicians should not become a Governor’. But when you look at history, most of the Governors have been politicians. They were the ones who tainted me as a BJP person; I wasn’t acting as a BJP person.
Q. What are your chances of victory in the election, considering how conservative Tamil Nadu is towards the BJP?
I wish I had a little bit more time, because I had to resign as Governor and immediately file my nomination at the constituency. Yes, the people in Tamil Nadu are conservative, but they have a bond with me. I am one among them. While I was here in Telangana, my husband and children were in South Chennai. When Chennai got hit with flash floods, they got trapped in the upper floors. I am well-known in Chennai, and I am a woman representative. I am confident I will win in Chennai.
Q, You are a star campaigner for the BJP in Telangana. What is your appeal for the people here?
I want the people to choose and vote for the BJP, and I want more MPs and Union ministers from Telangana state. I want the people to be benefit more and have much more in life, be it job opportunities or welfare schemes or entrepreneurship. If there are more MP’s from the BJP, they will be supportive to the state and ultimately to the people of Telangana.
