E-Paper
BJP's Lok Sabha candidate Tamilisai Soundararajan: ‘I was acting as people-friendly governor, not politician’
Critics have accused Tamilisai Soundararajan of speaking the language of the BJP while serving as Telangana governor.
Tamilisai Soundararajan, the former Telangana Governor and current BJP candidate from South Chennai, dismissed the allegations of partisanship during her tenure as governor saying her actions were aimed at being people-friendly rather than politically motivated.
“Some of the bills were anti-people. It was not in favour of most of the people from Telangana. I'm not against it. I reiterate I was not acting as a politician. I was acting as a people-friendly governor,” Soundararajan said in an interview with Hindustan Times’ Kumkum Chadha.
Read: Tamilisai kick-starts LS poll campaign for BJP in Secunderabad
Tamilisai Soundararajan resigned from the gubernatorial position in March and was fielded as BJP’s candidate later from Chennai South. She had a controversial stint as Telangana governor and accused the then-ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) of disrespecting a woman governor.
Critics, on the other hand, have accused Soundararajan of speaking the language of the BJP while serving as Telangana governor, suggesting that she was playing politics rather than fulfilling her duties impartially.
Soundararajan, however, cited instances where the Telangana government, led by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), displayed an alleged biased attitude toward the central government and denied protocol to the governor.
“Did they follow the protocol? Did they give me an opportunity for governor’s address? Did they give me an opportunity to attend the Republic Day parade? So totally they were ignoring the governor's office. I was fighting for the rights of the governor. Now I am active in politics. I can very strongly say, I was acting only as a governor, not as a politician.”
When pressed on her perceived sympathies toward the BJP, Soundararajan maintained that she acted solely as a constitutional head while serving as governor. She refuted claims that her actions were influenced by her affiliation with the BJP, saying her focus was on fulfilling her responsibilities as per the Constitution.
“No. When I was a Constitutional head, I can say I was working only as a constitutional head.”
A doctor turned politician, Soundararajan was a former president of the party’s Tamil Nadu unit but has not won any Lok Sabha or assembly polls. In 2019, she lost to DMK’s Kanimozhi from Toothukudi.
