CHENNAI: VICE-president M Venkaiah Naidu has defended decisions taken by former Tamil Nadu governor C Vidyasagar Rao during the political turmoil that followed the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. Speaking at a function on Monday, when he commissioned a 400 kwp solar plant at Raj Bhavan and released a book ‘Those Eventful Days’, Naidu said, “We must understand the powers and limitations of a governor. We must not expect him to fulfill expectations that go beyond the constitutional mandate.”
He added that State government should work towards fulfilling the promises made by Jayalalithaa. The book captures the important events of Rao’s 13-month tenure in the State. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, who was present with his cabinet colleagues including his deputy O Panneerselvam, said, “The initiative to commission a solar plant here is in line with Amma’s Vision 2023. It can save up to `45 lakh annually in electricity bills.”
Rao said the State has the richest heritage in the country when it comes to culture, tradition, history and philosophy. “There are works of Thiruvalluvar and Avvaiyar that moved me,” he confessed. During his tenure, Rao has opened Raj Bhavan to the public and erected statues of Thiruvalluvar and Avvaiyar in its premises. Newly-appointed governor Banwarilal Purohit hailed the Centre’s target of 175 GW in renewable energy generation by 2022 and said, “We should be thankful for various initiatives undertaken by the Centre such in the country.”