Eager wait for Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan's first address to Assembly

Hyderabad: All eyes are now on the Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan as she would be delivering her first address to the joint session of the state Legislature and Council on Friday to mark the beginning of the Budget session.

Though it is a routine practice where the Governor reads the address approved by the Cabinet highlighting the performance of the Government in the present financial year and what it proposes to do in the next financial year, this speech of the Governor assumes importance as the State Government has been opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act and has refused to implement NPR in the state.

Before being appointed as Governor, Tamilisai was known as a hardcore BJP leader and was the state president of the saffron party in Tamil Nadu. After being appointed as Governor she has been taking a neutral stand and has been acting as per the constitutional provisions.

It now remains to be seen whether she would read out the prepared speech cleared by the Cabinet or will she like her Kerala counterpart state that she has been asked to read the stand of the Government on CAA and that it is not her viewpoint.

It is also being said that to avoid any kind of embarrassment to the Governor, the Government in a strategic move had not incorporated that aspect in the address that has been submitted to her by the Chief Minister on Wednesday.

It may be mentioned here that the Government had already announced its intention to pass a resolution opposing the CAA and NPR. In view of this it might have not included it in the Governor's address.

The Chief Minister had at a press conference announced that he would convene a meeting of the regional parties and bring them on one platform so that they can jointly oppose the CAA and NPR.

However, the opposition parties feel that the Government should include its stand on CAA and NPR in the Governor's address or else it would give a chance to the Government to change its stand according to political situations.

Officials sources said that the State Cabinet would meet on Saturday to consider the budget proposals and approve it before Minister for Finance T Harish Rao presents it in the Assembly on Sunday.

During the course of the two-week long session, the government will introduce several Bills on Revenue system and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. Other issues like irrigation, power and poor assistance from the Centre are likely to be discussed.