AS TELANGANA Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Friday reached out to the JMM as part of his efforts to form an anti-BJP alliance, his government has decided to do away with the Governor’s address to the joint sitting of legislature for the Budget Session, which starts on March 7.
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While it is the tradition for the Budget Session to begin with the Governor’s address, the government decided to skip it saying that the previous Monsoon Session was not prorogued so there was no need for Governor’s address.
“The Monsoon Session was held from September 24 to October 8 and it was not prorogued. The House was adjourned sine dine and the Governor did not issue the prorogue notification so the House will continue from there,” Legislative Affairs Minister V Prashant Reddy said.
Targeting Rao, state BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar said it was insult to the Governor, and that the Chief Minister, who talked of rewriting the Constitution, has started doing so. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan’s office is yet to comment on the matter.
The development comes even as Rao on Friday wrapped up his visit to Delhi and Jharkhand, where he continued with his efforts to forge an alliance with regional powers.
After camping for three days in Delhi, where he met Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy and farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, Rao on Friday visited Jharkhand to meet Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha patriarch Shibu Soren.
Addressing a press meet in Ranchi, Rao said Shibu Soren was the first guest invited for the launch of the protest to demand separate statehood for Telangana in 2001. He recalled that Soren had come and given courage to the people. Rao said that during their meeting on Friday he took Soren’s blessings. “…And we spoke on politics too and I informed him that there is a talk going on in the entire country with different leaders.”
“I want to say that 75 years after Independence, development in the country is not up to the mark. We remained backward in many parameters as compared to the world. China has developed and other countries too. And today, too, the government is not doing its work properly. It has to be corrected, we spoke on this,” he said.
Rao said he is talking with various leaders and they will meet and decide the agenda.
Rao had earlier reached out to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Tamil Nadu counterpart M K Stalin. He is expected to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee soon. He is also in touch with JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda and RJD leader Lalu Prasad.
Sources in the TRS said Rao is seeking opinion of regional party leaders on formation of the alternative front. The leaders have requested him to wait till poll results of the five states are announced before holding further talks.
Rao also met families of two soldiers – Kundan Kumar and Ganesh Hansda – who were killed in the Galwan Valley clash in May 2020. He gave cheques of Rs 10 lakh to each family.