Decision raises questions about fairness of process

Hyderabad: Objecting to the rejection of nominations of two BRS candidates by the Governor, Finance Minister T Harish Rao said on Monday that if their affiliation was the sole basis for disqualification, it raises questions about fairness of the process.

The minister asked whether an individual who held the post of party president concurrently assumes the role of State Governor? These two individuals, hailing from the most marginalised sections of society, have dedicated decades of their lives to public service, consistently championing numerous initiatives that have directly benefited people of Telangana.

He said ‘the disparities in treatment become even more evident when we analyse similar situations in other States. For instance, Ghulam Ali Khatana of the BJP was not appointed to the Rajya Sabha through the President’s quota.

Yet, there are several instances where prominent BJP figures such as Mahesh Jathmalani, SonalMansingh, Ramshakhal, and Rakesh Sinha have been appointed as Rajya Sabha members through the President’s quota. Moreover, in BJP-ruled UP, individuals like JitinPrasada, Gopal Arjun Boorjee, Chaudhary Virendra Singh, Rajinikanth Maheshwari, Saket Mishra, and Hansraj Vishwakarma have been appointed as MLCs in the Governor’s quota. This raises questions about consistency in policy implementation.