Former Lt. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan said on Tuesday that she would forever cherish the love and affection she received from the people of Puducherry during her three-year tenure at the Raj Nivas.
In a farewell interaction with the media at the Raj Nivas on demitting office---she had resigned from the post of Telangana Governor and the additional charge of Lt. Governor the other day---Ms. Soundararajan said she was grateful for the opportunity to serve the people here.
Ms. Soundararajan, who was given additional charge of Lt. Governor in February, 2021 while serving as Telangana Governor, seemed to have been under the initial impression that the supplementary responsibility was for only for a few months.
“They told me to go for three months. Got an opportunity to serve for three years... these years of serving Puducherry has been a joyful experience”, said Ms. Soundararajan, who was at the helm when the Narayanasamy-led Congress government collapsed on February 22, 2021, after losing a trust motion just ahead of completing its five-year term and to administer oath of office to the first AINRC-BJP-led NDA government in Puducherry a couple of months later.
Ms. Soundararajan said her interactions with children---she had visited an estimated 75 schools--had been particularly heart warming. She counted the introduction of prizes for high scorers, the ‘10 bagless days a year’ initiative and the evening millet snack scheme among her important interventions for children. Most significant was the 10% reservation for NEET-qualified government school students in medical admission from this academic year in the Union Territory.
Being a medical practitioner herself, the importance of such a ground-breaking move to facilitate entry of students from government schools to the medical profession could not be understated, she said.
Ms. Soundararajan’s term has not been without a fair share of controversies, especially over a perception of relegating the elected government in her Constitutional role of Administrator of the Union Territory. On more than one occasion, she was compelled to dismiss reports about differences of opinion with Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, on administrative matters, dismissing these charges as attempts to spread misinformation.
More recently, in February in response to Speaker R. Selvam’s unusual charge that she was dilly-dallying over for the project for a new Assembly complex, she denied any delay at the Raj Nivas and clarified that the relevant file, including responses to queries and clarifications sought by the Ministry of Home Affairs, had been duly forwarded to the Centre.
While in 2023 in Madurai, she urged the media to not drag her into commenting on frictions in the BJP-AIADMK alliance in Tamil Nadu as she held the gubernatorial position, she often appeared to not hold back when it came to furthering her party’s line of attacks on the DMK-led government of Chief Minister MK Stalin, whether it was the row over sanatana dharma or criticism of flood relief measures in the southern districts.
In fact, the Congress and the DMK in Puducherry had boycotted the customary ‘At Home’ reception hosted by her at the Raj Nivas on Independence Day in 2023 to protest the Lt. Governor’s ‘excessive indulgence in politics’ and ‘superseding the elected government’.
On the shocking sexual assault and murder of a nine-year-old girl, she reiterated her call for expeditious justice stating that she has always been a voice for safety of women.
Stating that resigning from the post of Governor was her own decision, Ms. Soundararajan said voluntarily relinquishing the amenities associated with the gubernatorial office could only be inspired by a greater love for the people and commitment to render public service.
On what lies ahead, she would only say that she would readily accept whatever role the party assigned her.
Ms. Soundararajan, who entered the annals of the Puducherry Legislative Assembly by presenting the customary address to the House in Tamil on August 26, 2021, said she came as a daughter of Tamil Nadu. “I have only reached out to people...and requested you to not cast me as an outsider. I am sure people will understand”.
