Special cabinet meeting on Dec 3 to discuss Telangana: Sushilkumar Shinde

New Delhi: A special meeting of the Union Cabinet on December 3 will discuss the report of the Group of Ministers (GoM), set up to look into the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, and the draft Telangana Bill, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said on Friday.

Tuesday's Cabinet meeting has been called to discuss exclusively the Telangana issue, he said. "Various options (on how to create Telangana) will be put forward and the Cabinet will take a final call," he told reporters here.

Sources said the last meeting of the GoM will be held either on Monday or early Tuesday to finalise the draft Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill.

They said the issue of Hyderabad continues to be contentious as Seemandhra leaders are demanding protection of lives and property of Seemandhra people settled in Hyderabad after the bifurcation.

One of the options, the GoM may suggest, is handing over the law and order responsibility and revenue department to the central government under a special provision of the Constitution.

The GoM is unlikely to recommend making Hyderabad an Union Territory like Chandigarh, which is capital of both Punjab and Haryana. The Union Cabinet has already decided that Hyderabad will be the joint capital of Telangana and residuary state of Andhra Pradesh for 10 years.

The GoM had held a series of meetings with leaders of eight political parties, Union ministers from Andhra Pradesh and Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and officials in the past one month.

During these meetings, opinion gave been given on distribution of assets and other issues between the new state and the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh. Shinde had said that the Telangana Bill would be tabled in the Winter Session of Parliament.

Sources said following instructions from the Congress high command, the GoM has speeded up the whole process. Once the Cabinet clears the proposal, it will go to the President who in turn will refer it to Andhra Pradesh Assembly for approval.

However, the Assembly resolution is not binding under the Constitution.

The Union Cabinet then can consider the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill and with Union Cabinet's approval, it will send it to the President before being tabled in Parliament. The Winter Session of Parliament commences on December 5 and will conclude on December 20.