During the meeting with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 14, 2016, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha had sought retention of Mr. Rosaiah in the Raj Bhavan.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home Minister Rajnath Singh agreed to the Chief Minister Jayalalitha’s request.
The Governor K. Rosaiah may have his second term at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai.
August 31, 2016 was the last day of Tamil Nadu governor K Rosaiah’s term, but indications were that it might not be the end of his Tamil Nadu stint.
“There is no packing up mood in Raj Bhavan. Everything is going on as usual,” official sources said,
adding that a formal communication from the President’s office on the extension of term is expected on the day.
Meanwhile, reports in a section of the media suggested that the Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman, D.H. Shankaramurthy could possibly replace Rosaiah as the Tamil Nadu Governor.
However, when contacted, Shankaramurthy told, “I don’t know. These are media speculation. One thing is true; the party chief Amit Shah asked me whether I am willing to shoulder a bigger responsibility and I have responded in positive. I don’t know anything more than that.”
DH Shankaramurthy has requested Home Minister Rajnath Singh to appoint him as a governor to any south Indian state.
Rajnath Singh said, “I told Jayalalitha that we need to give post for BJP leaders and we cannot give an extension for Rosaiah. We will appoint an acting governor for now and she agreed to it.”
The Rashtrapati Bhavan announced on August 31, 2016 that Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao would hold additional charge of Tamil Nadu.
Contrary to expectations, Mr. Rosaiah was not given an extension.
“The Governor of Maharashtra, Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao, (will) discharge the functions of the Governor of Tamil Nadu, in addition to his own duties, until regular arrangements for the office of the Governor of Tamil Nadu are made,” said a communique from Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Meanwhile, Mr. Rosaiah is ready to vacate the Raj Bhavan. Once the information on the new Governor’s arrival time is known, Mr. Rosaiah will leave before that, said Raj Bhavan
sources.
Jayalalitha called on Rosaiah and said, “They didn’t give you an extension.”
Rosaiah said, “That’s okay. They did let me complete my full term and for that, I should be thankful to them.”
Jayalalitha said, “They appointed Vidyasagar Rao.”
Rosaiah warned, “Jayalalitha, this Vidyasagar Rao is a close associate of Narendra Modi. You need to make sure that it is a short-term arrangement. Vidyasagar Rao will try to make you to agree with Narendra Modi’s policy. If Vidyasagar Rao is the Governor, then there will be a lot of interference in the state administration from the central government.”
Jayalalitha said, “Let me talk to Rajnath Singh.”
Jayalalitha left Raj Bhavan and went to the Secretariat.
Jayalalitha called Rajnath Singh over phone and asked, “Rajnathji, why did you appoint Vidyasagar Rao as the Governor?”
Rajnath Singh didn’t expect this call from Jayalalitha and somehow tried to manage the situation and said, “Jayalalithaji, Vidyasagar Rao is a short-term arrangement.”
Jayalalitha said, “You could have appointed Kiran Bedi as a short-term Governor. In fact, I am okay if Kiran Bedi is the full-time Governor of Tamil Nadu.”
Rajnath Singh said, “Jayalalithaji, you will not be happy with Kiran Bedi. Kiran Bedi acts like the Chief Minister of Pondicherry and creates a lot of challenges to all political leaders of Pondicherry.”
Jayalalitha asked, “Okay, but make sure that Vidyasagar Rao is for short-term only and not as a full-term Governor of Tamil Nadu.”
Rajnath Singh confirmed, “Sure, Maharashtra is a big state and it is not possible for anyone to manage two large states, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra simultaneously.”
Outgoing Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah on September 1, 2016 thanked people of the state for the ‘kindness and love showered by them’ on him.
In a statement, Rosaiah said, “I had the privilege and a great honor to serve as the Governor of Tamil
Nadu for five years. I carry back fond memories of my tenure in Tamil Nadu and the kindness and love showered by the people of Tamil Nadu.”
On September 2, 2016, Jayalalitha received Governor of Maharashtra Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao at the Airport.
Chief Justice of the Madras High Court S.K. Kaul administered oath of ofice to Vidyasagar Rao at a function attended by Chief Minister Jayalalitha, her cabinet colleagues, Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal and secretaries of various departments. Vidyasagar Rao assumed office as acting Governor of Tamil Nadu.
Senior BJP leaders, including state president Tamilisai Soundararajan and former president L. Ganesan, attended the event.
From the book: It Took a Village to Kill Jayalalitha
No comments:
Post a Comment