Telangana governor ESL Narasimhan and a Congress delegation led by TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy got engaged in an heated argument today, in a manner probably unprecedented in the Raj Bhavan’s history.

The Congress gave two representations ~ one on sand mafia and the other on the arrest of Dalit leader, Manda Krishna.

When the Congress told the governor that sand mafias are active in Sircilla, home district of chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s son and municipal administration minister KT Rama Rao, Mr Narasimhan asked the delegation not to name the minister.

To this Mr Reddy snapped back saying, “You cannot dictate me what to speak”. He then drew the attention of the governor to the killing of a village revenue assistant (VRA) yesterday. The governor said according to information available to him, the victim was not a VRA. Mr Reddy then asked him whether the mafia had the license to kill a common man.

Mr Narasimhan said this new year everyone should resolve to be truthful and stay away from false propaganda. The meeting then turned worse. Top Congress leaders who were part of the delegation, were reticent to explain what went wrong last evening, but began opening up late last night.

Former MP S Satyanarayana told Mr Narasimhan that he is not a headmaster speaking to students and that he is duty bound to listen to the delegation’s grievances and take their representation. Mr Narasimhan threatened to leave and told the leaders to “control that fellow” (S Satyanarayana). TPCC vice-president Mr Mallu Ravi shouted, “What the hell do you mean?”
Mr Reddy attempted to calm down the situation and told the governor that killing of any human being is unacceptable, whether he is a VRA or not.

An infuriated Mr Narasimhan asked what job a politician had with a dead body.

The Congress hit back saying that the governor is enjoying the post due to the “mercy” of former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Congress leader Manmohan Singh, who had appointed him. They said he is ‘worse than a TRS worker’ and that he has become ‘a stooge’ of the state government.

Later in the evening, the governor and Mr Reddy sought to play down the episode. A Raj Bhavan communiqué said it was a “cordial meeting” and that the “neutrality and the dignity of the Raj Bhavan would be maintained”. Mr Reddy issued a Press release confining himself to the
issues and made no reference to the spat.