Governor-government reconcile their differences before Telangana session

All eyes are on today’s joint session of the Telangana Legislature, for the governor will be addressing it after over a year, and coming as it does, in the backdrop of the ‘compromise’ arrived at between the Raj Bhavan and the state government. As of now, there are no signs of any further issues. Nonetheless, it would be in the fitness of things to discuss this rift between the two sides. 

Relations have been strained between Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and CM K Chandrashekar Rao for quite some time. The bone of contention, looking at it from the latter’s perspective, is the delay on the part of the former to give her assent to some bills. On the other hand, the governor has been vocal in pointing at the government’s reluctance to observe protocol. We can go on splitting hairs, arguing whether the governor was within her rights to keep the bills pending. Similarly, one could defend the government’s stance. There is a grain of truth in the complaints that Raj Bhavan and the government have against each other. But, objectively speaking, we believe somewhere in this entire drama, the Constitution is being undermined.

The governor deserves respect as the constitutional head of the state. Refusing to stick to protocol is not in the spirit of the Constitution. By the same coin, the governor being vocal about criticising her own government or keeping bills pending for months isn’t fair either. Things came to such a pass that the state government moved the high court seeking a directive to the governor to give her consent to the financial statement ahead of the Assembly’s budget session. Under Article 361(1) of the Constitution, the governor enjoys immunity from being questioned or made answerable to courts of law concerning discharging their constitutional duties. The high court rightly disposed of the matter, and on its advice, the two parties came to an agreement under which the governor will address the joint session of the legislature and clear all the pending bills.

The same reconciliation could have been made without going to court. It appears mutual distrust is the reason for whatever had happened. There are no easy answers to these questions. The only way out under the present system is for all sides concerned to place the Constitution above everything else. The governor and KCR both, one hopes, have set aside their differences.