The long-awaited `praja darbar’ of Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan to hear people’s problems will be launched at Raj Bhavan on Friday with the opening day’s proceedings limited to giving an ear to women’s issues on the platform, ‘mahila darbar’.
It was more than a year ago, much before differences between the Governor and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao surfaced, that the former had expressed desire to start the praja darbar with a view to take the problems of people to the notice of the government and get them resolved as they went unheard in the top echelons of power. However, it did not take off but Ms. Soundararajan set up a grievance box at Raj Bhavan where she received a number of complaints every month.
Serious differences between Ms. Soundararajan and the government came to fore earlier this year with the conduct of Republic Day celebrations separately by the former and the Chief Minister. The State government found fault with Ms. Soundararajan for giving a speech on the occasion which was not approved by the Cabinet.
This was followed by the government giving a go-by to the conventional Governor’s address at the start of the budget session of the Legislature. With this, the differences between the Governor and the Chief Minister came into the open during which she complained of having been insulted at every stage. This was followed by protocol violation when Ms. Soundararajan went for Sammakka - Sarakka jatara and Yadadri temple after it was opened to public.
Meanwhile, Ms. Soundararajan visited various districts, including the Agency of Bhadrachalam by train, to see religious places and interact with public. She also visited an interior tribal habitation in Bhadrachalam. She played a pro-active role in seeking reports from the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police in the recent killings here due to hatred for inter-caste and inter-faith marriages and the sensational minor girl’s gangrape.
Ms. Soundararajan met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi in this backdrop even as the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues skipped the Ugadi celebrations hosted by Raj Bhavan. She was also not invited to the State formation day celebrations in Public Gardens.
Sources said the ‘mahila darbar’ on Friday will be for one hour between 12 noon to 1 p.m. to listen to the grievances of women. Several issues, including the problems faced by them as well as their security are likely to figure on the occasion. The ‘mahila darbar’ will be followed by the regular ‘praja darbars’ with people from different walks of life in the coming days.
