Puducherry, Jan 24 (PTI): Governor of Telangana Tamilisai Soundararajan who is also holding additional charge as Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry would unfurl the national flag on Republic Day in both the places. An official source told PTI on Monday that Soundararajan would first unfurl the flag at Telangana and fly to Puducherry to unfurl the flag here. When Lt General (retd) A K Singh was Administrator of Andaman and Nicobar Islands he was entrusted with the additional responsibility of being Lt Governor in 2014 with Puducherry not having a regular incumbent in the post of Lt Governor after Virendra Kataria was replaced by Singh in 2014. However, Singh unfurled the flag at Andaman and let the then Chief Minister N Rangasamy to hoist the flag in Puducherry in 2015. The decision on flag-hoisting by Soundararajan drew flak from former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy. He told a virtual press conference that Soundararajan is a full-fledged Governor of Telangana and is only holding the post of Lieutenant Governor under additional charge. Narayanasamy said the Centre should have appointed a Lieutenant Governor instead of letting a Governor of another State hold additional post. The former Chief Minister said she rarely visits Telangana and is in Puducherry most of the time. "The stand of Soundararajan that she would unfurl the flag here on January 26 is amusing and unacceptable. She should have let the Chief Minister N Rangasamy hoist the flag and participate in the ceremonial function in Telangana. But she has preferred to kickstart the ceremonial celebrations in both the places. This is a clear case of throwing to the winds the democratic features of an elected government," he said. Narayanasamy said there is already a precedent of a Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands holding additional charge the post of Lt Governor and letting the Chief Minister N Rangasamy unfurl the flag in 2015. "Why should there be failure to follow this precedent," he asked and also held the Centre responsible for the Lt Governor going ahead with her plan to hoist the flag in two places. He said that there was still time for the Centre to make proper arrangements and post a full-fledged Lt Governor for Puducherry. Narayanasamy said denying the opportunity to Chief Minister to unfurl the flag by the Lt Governor only shows that "she wants to virtually and totally take under her control all the functions of a government." "Rangasamy is in deep slumber and he should wake up," Narayanasamy said. Now, Soundararajan is perhaps the only incumbent in the gubernatorial post in the country to have the uncommon opportunity of hoisting the national flag in two places. Soundararajan succeeded Kiran Bedi who was shunted out of Puducherry where she was Lieutenant Governor from 2016 to 2021. PTI COR NVG NVG