It's Governor Vs. Govts; Bigger War In Telangana.

Governors appointed by the BJP-led Centre appear to have declared outright war against State governments in 3 Southern States, with Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan taking the conflict to a completely different level with politically coloured allegations that have rarely come from the Raj Bhavan.

Soundararajan's allegations come at a time when the BJP-led Centre appears to be leading a war from all sides against the State through a slew of measures, including unilateral financial restrictions, in addition to mounting pressure by withholding funds, grants, and rightful compensations.

The Governor versus Government face-offs in the 3 States, restricted to ping-ponging bills and verbal charges on university-related affairs so far, has now moved into legal wrangles in 2 States.

The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu has submitted a memorandum to the President seeking the removal of Governor RN Ravi. On the other hand, in Kerala, the CPI (M) government has voted to remove the Governor as Chancellor of Universities.

Aside from the immediate spark of the Telangana Universities Common Recruitment Board Bill, what makes Soundararajan's allegations sound like part of a bigger plan is that there were no provocations from the Government. Her statements about Pragathi Bhavan highlight the political undertones of her accusations. A protestor could have been welcomed to Raj Bhavan without referring to the Chief Minister's official residence straight away if she had wanted to do so.