Hyderabad: The much-anticipated draft AP Reorganisation Bill-2013 could not be tabled in the state Assembly on Thursday as the House was adjourned till Monday after MLAs from either side of the regional divide disrupted the proceedings, in what was seen as a game of one-upmanship.
At the end of the day, legislators, including ministers, from Telangana region were left red-faced while those from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema appeared euphoric that their game plan worked.
The House was caught in pandemonium ever since it sat for the day’s proceedings at 10 AM as MLAs from Telangana and Seemaandhra regions stormed the Speaker’s podium holding placards and raising slogans for and against the bifurcation of the state.
Two adjournments for half-an-hour each did not restore order in the House, resulting in the final adjournment for the day close to 2 PM. The draft Bill was sent to the state government by the President of India on Thursday night.
The President, as per Article 3 of the Constitution, sought the views of the Assembly on the bifurcation and gave time till January 23 for returning it to him.
Though it was widely expected that the draft Bill would be tabled in the Houseon Friday, the din caused by the legislators did not allow the formality to be completed.
Official sources in the Legislature, however, pointed out that the Speaker has to take a decision on the tabling of the draft Bill as it was marked “secret”.
Ironically, MLAs from Telangana were found seething even as their colleagues from Seemaandhra appeared upbeat that the draft Bill was not tabled in the House.
So much was the anger among the Telangana legislators that Deputy Chief Minister C Damodara Rajanarasimha reportedly threatened to move a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy.
“Kiran is anti-Telangana and he is blocking the Bill at every step. We have lost trust in him,” the Deputy Chief Minister reportedly told a group of Congress MLAs from Telangana in the Assembly lobbies.
He demanded that a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party be convened immediately so that they could express their displeasure over the Chief Minister.
On the other hand, members of TRS, TDP (Telangana Forum), BJP and CPI issued a notice to Speaker Nadendla Manohar seeking to move a privilege motion against state Chief Secretary Prasanna Kumar Mohanty for not sending copies of the draft Bill to the Assembly in time today for placing in the House.
TDP’s Seemaandhra MLAs also met the Speaker separately and requested him not to table the draft Bill in the House in haste.
The Chief Minister was closeted in talks with senior legislators from Seemaandhra wherein they were said to have discussed the strategy for taking up the draft Bill for discussion in the Assembly.
Sources in the Seemaandhra camp said the government was in no hurry to table the draft Bill and initiate a discussion on bifurcation straightaway. Instead, a special session of the Assembly would be convened early next month to complete the process.
“We have to debate on each and every clause of the draft Bill and vote on each clause. Besides, the Bill also suggests that an amendment is required on Article 371D of the Constitution,” the Chief Minister reportedly told his party legislators.
Depending on the discussion in the House, the Chief Minister may write to the President seeking more time, if required, for returning the draft Bill. (PTI)
