Kiran harps for 'comprehensive' Telangana Bill as AP seeks more time

Hyderabad: As the stalemate continued over Telangana Bill in Andhra Pradesh Assembly, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on Tuesday wrote to President Pranab Mukherjee seeking extension of deadline for discussing and returning it.

Reddy told reporters he has written the letter to the President but did not specify how much time was sought. But, sources close to him said an additional three weeks were sought by the state government.

Latest reports said that around 75-80 Seemandhra legislators, including ministers, signed on the letter.

The President initially gave time till January 23 to the state Legislature to discuss the Bill and return it but subsequently extended the deadline till January 30.

Read more: AP Assembly bedlam continues over Telangana Bill

Reddy's move came after the Seemandhra ministers and MLAs at a meeting with him decided to seek additional time citing frequent disruptions in the Assembly.

So far only about 90 MLAs, including the Chief Minister, spoke on the Bill and expressed their views while some others gave their opinion in writing.

But most of the Assembly time was lost in disruptions by either the Seemaandhra or the Telangana legislators on one demand or the other.

Unrelenting legislators from Telangana region did not allow the Assembly to transact any business for the second day on Tuesday, demanding that the Chief Minister withdraw his notice given to the Speaker for moving a resolution to reject the AP Reorganisation Bill-2013.

Standing in the Well and raising slogans against the Chief Minister, the Telangana legislators pushed the House into pandemonium as soon as the proceedings began at 9 am. At the same time, members from Seemaandhra region too went into the Well, demanding that the Speaker place the notices issued by the Chief Minister and others under Rule 77 before the House for consideration.

The Chief Minister also refused to be drawn into the debate over the 'original and final' AP Reorganisation Bill.

"In its present form, the Bill is not comprehensive. A Bill that has to be presented in Parliament should be comprehensive with details like statement of objects and reasons, financial memorandum and also the statement of purpose.

The same Bill should be referred to the state Legislature for its views. Even the Article 3 of the Constitution specifies this," he said.

Maintaining that it was not a question of whether the Bill was 'original or fake', the Chief Minister noted it was a question of whether or not it was comprehensive.

"Let them read the Government of India rules," he said, in an obvious snub to Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, who yesterday said that 'there can only be one Bill which is final'.