Will discharge duties as per Constitution: Dattatreya

Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for appointing him as Governor of Himachal Pradesh, former union minister Bandaru Dattatreya on Sunday said he will discharge his duties in accordance with the Constitution.

"I am grateful to honourable Prime Minister and honourable Home Minister for the confidence reposed in me. I fulfil my duty as Governor constitutionally and democratically. I am happy and also, Dattatreya, a senior BJP leader from Telangana," Dattatreya told PTI.

Born on June 12, 1947, Dattatreya is a four-time Lok Sabha member from Secunderabad and had also been State BJP president of undivided Andhra Pradesh during 1996-98. He had served as union minister of state holding different portfolios in the A B Vajpayee Government and MoS with independent charge of Labour and Employment in the Narendra Modi Government between November 2014 and September 2017.

He was also Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation from September 2003 to May 2004. Dattatreya, an RSS Pracharak in the late 1960s, however, did not contest in the 2019 Parliament elections.

He had been arrested during Emergency in the late 1970s.

"There was no promise (offering Governor post) made to me even when I was dropped from the cabinet (in the previous Modi government). And I Have no regrets for not contesting the last elections," he said.

Dattatreya, a B.Sc graduate from Osmania University, had also been a member of Parliamentary committees during his tenure as Lok Sabha member.

Ruling TRS working President K T Rama Rao and BJP Telangana spokesperson Krishna Sagar Rao welcomed Dattareya's appointment as Governor.

Many Congratulations to Sri @Dattatreya garu on being appointed as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh. Wishing you a wonderful tenure in your new role sir, Rao tweeted.

The BJP spokesman said: "Dattatreya has been working actively in several positions in the Bharatiya Janata Party for the last 40 years. I am very happy he has been elevated to the position of Constitutional head of Himachal Pradesh."