Hyderabad: The Business Advisory Committee of the state Assembly was able to conduct its business peacefully and without too many heated arguments on Tuesday thanks to the direct support of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, who attended the meeting, and the indirect support of Leader of the Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu, who did not attend the meeting.
The BAC, which sets the schedule to be followed in the Assembly, decided to complete the discussion on the Telangana Bill in three phases. In the first phase, the discussions will be held from December 18 to 20. The second phase will start from January 3, 2014, and the third phase will start from January 16 and be completed by January 23, the deadline given by President Pranab Mukherjee.
Cases against TDP, YSRCP MLAs for 'insulting' Telangana Bill
The BAC meeting was held under the chairmanship of Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar. In the BAC meeting, Kiran Kumar Reddy and finance minister Anam Ramnarayana Reddy proposed that the Assembly be adjourned after the discussion on the Telangana draft Bill starts on Wednesday, and reassemble on January 2 to take up discussion on the Bill.
However, Deputy CM Damodar Raja Narasimha and legislative affairs minister D. Sridhar Babu opposed this proposal and demanded that the Assembly session be extended till December 20 to discuss the Bill.
When the Chief Minister finally agreed to this, Telugu Desam Seemandhra MLA Gali Muddu Krishnama Naidu, accused him of deserting the Seemandhra cause after coming out strongly in its support earlier. The Chief Minister replied, “That is as per party, this is as per government.”
Prez rule in new states: Deputy CM
There is keen competition among Congress politicians from both the Telangana and Seemandhra regions to become CMs of the respective states after bifurcation.
But according to deputy CM Damodar Raja Narasimha, both states are likely to be put under President’s Rule soon after the bifurcation. Narasimha said that the new state of Telangana will be formed in February and the EC will announce the election schedule in the first week of March.
From the day the election code comes into force, the government can’t take any policy decisions. To avoid any infighting that will precede the appointment of the new CMs, the High Command may impose President’s Rule in both states.
Next: 110% committed to united AP, says CM
110% committed to united AP: CM
Hyderabad: Chief ?Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on Tuesday said that he was fully committed to a united state of AP, despite doubts expressed about his intention .
“I am 110 per cent committed to a united AP. No one can doubt my integrity,” the CM said, during a meeting with Seemandhra MLAs and MLCs to discuss the strategy to be adopted in view of the discussion on the Telangana Bill in the Assembly from Wednesday. “There are many news channels and newspapers. Everyone says something. I can’t respond to all,” he said.
The MLAs were upset about the Bill being taken up for discussion in the Assembly when they had wanted to stall the House.
They complained that the CM’s absence for the two days the Bill was tabled gave rise to rumours. The CM assured them there will be discussion on the Bill in the Assembly ultimately and asked the MLAs and MLCs to prepare their opinions on every clause.
The CM also asked them to file affidavits opposing the bifurcation and the violations of rules and procedures.
Meanwhile, Telangana ministers K. Jana Reddy, Ponnala Laxmaiah, J. Geeta Reddy and others asked the CM to allow discussion on the Bill in the Assembly.
