Didn't Expect KCR To Attend Republic Day Program, Says Telangana Governor

Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Thursday slammed Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for not attending the Republic Day celebrations at Raj Bhavan and said that the state government "undermined" the event.

"Telangana undermined the Republic Day activity. They didn't have any public program. They wanted me to unfurl the flag at Raj Bhawan itself. No public participation as they did not follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) guidelines from the central government," Governor Soundararajan told ANI.

The Governor further claimed that she didn't get any response to the letter she wrote to the government asking for organising the programme with public participation.

"I didn't expect Telangana Chief Minister to attend the program because two months back I wrote a letter saying that this time the program should be conducted in a grand manner with public participation. But they didn't respond to that letter," she said.

Coming down heavily on the state government, the Governor said that in the state's history, it would be registered that the Constitution is not "respected".

"Just two days back they gave a letter saying that it should be conducted at Raj Bhavan only. In that letter also they didn't mention that Chief Minister will attend it. But people are watching, in Telangana's history it will be written that Constitution is not respected," she said.

The Governor unfurled the national flag which was followed by the national anthem on the occasion of the 74th Republic Day.

However, the Chief Minister of Telangana K Chandrasekhar Rao skipped the Republic Day celebrations.

The Telangana High Court on Wednesday, while hearing a petition seeking a direction to the government to organise the parade as part of the celebrations, directed the state government to conduct Republic Day celebrations in a grand manner, with a ceremonial parade, as per the instructions issued by the Central government.

The counsel of the petitioner contended that earlier Republic Day was celebrated at Parade Ground here in a grand manner and many people used to visit and witness the celebrations (which was not happening now).

Earlier in his Republic Day speech, Governor Soundararajan attacked the state government and said that everyone should have an equal share in development.

"New buildings are not for development. Nation building is for development. All the farmers and the marginalised people should have farms and houses, a few should not have farmhouses. That is not the development. Everyone should have an equal share in the development," she said taking a dig at KCR.

Governor Soundararajan appealed to the young people of the state to remain strong and have faith in their ability to remove the throne or crown that is the cause of their stress. She cited Ambedkar's saying that only a few sections should not have all privileges and burdens.

Opposition parties, especially the BJP, have been targeting KCR for his farmhouse and also the palatial official residence Pragati Bhavan built a few years ago.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)