Hyderabad: In a major goof up, the Centre has sent Telangana Bill to President Pranab Mukherjee with what the officials concerned described as “minor errors”. The Centre withdrew the Bill and is now busy sending a fresh one.
The modified AP Reorganisation Bill is still with the Prime Minister’s Office and is likely to go to President only on or after Monday.
This is in contrast to the contention of Union Minister Jairam Ramesh and AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh that the Bill will reach state Assembly from President for expressing its views on Monday.
Official sources told this newspaper that the original Bill sent to President contained crucial information relating to the severe objections raised by the Department of Legal Affairs and Legislative Affairs on contentious issues like Article 371 D and entrusting the law and order in common capital to Governor.
“The Bill has been modified removing all that information,” sources said. The two departments made it clear that Article 371 D cannot be applied post bifurcation and the lengthy procedure of amending the constitution with two thirds majority in Parliament and approval of 50 per cent the state legislatures was suggested even to repeal or modify the Article.
The departments also expressed their view that law and order subject can’t be entrusted to Governor in the common capital without a Constitutional amendment through which they suggested to insert an Article on the lines of 371 H.
Special powers have been given to the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh through 371 H. The information retrieved from the first draft Bill sent to the President also revealed that the Bill was prepared in a hurry because the two departments pointed out either lack of proper information or its confirmation by the agencies concerned.
Official sources also expressed doubts over whether the President would send the Bill to Assembly with the same haste displayed by the Centre in formulating the Bill and presenting it to the Union Cabinet as a table item.
Mukherjee is likely to leave the country on December 14 to attend last rites of former South African president Nelson Mandela.
