KCR, Governor Exchange Pleasantries After Eight Months

After a gap of more than eight months, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao called on Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan at the Raj Bhavan today.

The occasion was the swearing-in ceremony of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan as the newly-appointed High Court Chief Justice.

Soundararajan administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new Chief Justice at a glittering ceremony held at her official residence.

As per protocol, the Chief Minister has to be present at the Chief Justice's swearing-in ceremony. KCR reached Raj Bhavan just a few minutes before the ceremony. He presented a bouquet to Dr Soundararajan and exchanged pleasantries with her. They spent some time chatting before moving to Darbar Hall to attend the ceremony.

Even after the event, KCR spent some time with the new Chief Justice and the Governor in the Raj Bhavan. Later, Soundararajan saw off the Chief Minister.

The last time that KCR had gone to Raj Bhavan was on October 11, 2021, on the occasion of swearing in of Justice Satish Chandra Sharma as the Chief Justice.

After that, differences cropped up between the Chief Minister and the Governor over the nomination of TRS leader Padi Kaushik Reddy as MLC under the Governor's quota. Soundararajan rejected his nomination on technical grounds, and it angered KCR.

Since then, the KCR government has been adopting a confrontationist stand towards the Governor, and has stopped extending protocol facilities to her. And Soundararajan, too, started making provocative comments against the KCR government.

It is in this context that the meeting happened today after eight months, even if it was as part of protocol.

Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and other elected representatives too were present.