CHENNAI: The ruling DMK has launched a tirade against Governors confronting states on welfare initiatives and legislations and warned such persons would meet similar fate as did Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, the Telangana Governor.
The comments made in the ruling party's organ, 'Murasoli', evoked a strong rebuttal from Soundararajan, who had recently alleged her office was 'humiliated' by the state government in TRS-ruled Telangana and that she was being discriminated against.
Taking exception to Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi for allegedly not supplementing the government's welfare schemes, an article in 'Murasoli' said Governors should avoid confronting duly elected governments.
The ruling DMK and Ravi had earlier faced off over the TN Assembly bills seeking exemption for the state from NEET.
"No duly elected government will accept if the bills passed in the Assembly are not forwarded for Presidential assent. Governors should not stand in the way of people-friendly initiatives," the article said and warned the Governors who hindered development would meet the same fate as that of Soundararajan.
The article claiming Telangana government denied Soundararajan an opportunity to address the Assembly, said governors, including her Tamil Nadu counterpart, attempting to exceed their constitutional powers would meet the same situation as that of hers.
In the conflict between the power centres, the State may give in since people should not suffer, the article further said and asked the Governors not to work as agents of the Centre but act in coordination with the States.
In another article, Murasoli accused Ravi of misguiding the Centre on the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) and claimed he would have changed his mind had he known the ground realities.
Responding to the write-up, Soundararajan said she was disrespected on certain issues by the Telangana government but "this doesn't mean I scream or cry about those things."
"I was never insulted. I am astonished about how someone in Tamil Nadu can rejoice if their sister is disrespected in another State. It is not the right frame of mind," she told reporters in Tiruchirappalli when sought for her comments to the article in 'Murasoli.'
As she stepped into fourth year as Governor of Telangana, last week, she had also spoken about many good things she had experienced in that State, she maintained and said she would continue to carry out her work irrespective of whether she was respected or not.
