Calling the BJP an “anti-backward classes party”, BRS leader and Telangana MLC K Kavitha on Tuesday, 26 September, slammed Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan for rejecting the state Cabinet’s recommendation to nominate two of the ruling party leaders as MLCs.
She also said the Governor’s actions were against the “federal spirit”.
Soundararajan rejected the recommendation to nominate Sravan Dasoju and former MLA Kurra Satyanarayana as MLCs under the Governor’s quota, drawing criticism from the ruling party and the Telangana government.
“Those two persons who were nominated by the state Cabinet belong to the Backward Classes (BCs). In a bid to provide opportunities to those who could not come to the legislature through direct elections, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao proposed these names,” explained Kavitha.
“The Governor’s rejections prove that the BJP is an anti-BC party,” she said, hitting out at Soundararajan.
Also read: Governor rejects names sent by Telangana Cabinet for 2 MLCs
‘Against federal spirit’
“Everyone feels that the Governor’s rejection is against the federal spirit of the country. She rejected it citing several reasons,” Kavitha noted.
Raising doubts as to whether the “Constitution of Bharat” or the “Constitution of Bharatiya Janata Party” was in force in the country and noting that Governors of several states behave in such a manner, Kavitha told reporters, “People are watching such behaviour.”
Kavitha further said every constitutional body had rights and limits, and yet these Governors were behaving in such a manner, keeping aside these limits and rights.
She also alleged that the BJP, which has done “injustice” to BC women in the recently passed Women’s Reservation Bill, was unable to tolerate the growth of BCs.
She opined there would be stability if conventions and procedures were followed, and nothing could be achieved with these kinds of acts except negative debate among the public.
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Governor’s reasoning
The Governor sent back the files for the appointment of the MLCs to the government, quoting profusely various Acts and Sections to establish the point that both Sravan Kumar and Satyanarayana were ineligible to be appointed as MLCs under the Governor’s quota.
She said that both were active in politics and that there was no evidence to indicate that they had achievements to their credit either in literature, science, art, the cooperative movement, or social service.
She said that, apparently, the pre-conditions required under Article 171(5) of the Constitution for appointing them under the Governor’s quota were not met.
Except for the summary attached to the recommendations, no other details or documents for nomination as an MLC were enclosed, according to the Governor.
There were no reports either from the intelligence or other agencies indicating that they did not incur disqualification under Sections 8 to 11(A) of the Representation of the People’s Act, 1951, she added.
The Governor said that the entire file, along with relevant records and the criteria required by the Constitution and the note file submitted to the Cabinet and the chief minister, were not enclosed along with the recommendations.
Just a summary without any documentation would not be enough for her to nominate them to the Council under the Governor’s quota, she said.
(With PTI inputs)
