Hyderabad: Congress bosses seem to have decided to introduce the Telangana Bill in the Rajya Sabha after the President sends it to the Cabinet some time in the first week of February 2014.
The party is taking the Upper House route on two counts. One, to create confidence in Telangana about its commitment to giving statehood to the region before the 2014 elections, and, two, the Bill will not lapse in the Rajya Sabha even if the Lok Sabha is unable to take it forward due to paucity of time in the Vote-on-Account Budget Session or subsequently getting dissolved.
“If the Bill is introduced in the Lok Sabha, there could be obstructions in the House from the Seemandhra MPs who are bent on opposing it. For any reason if is not approved in the session, an impression will be created in the minds of the Telangana people regarding the sincerity of the Congress. We want to avoid that,” said a key leader in the AICC.
He recalled that some important Bills like the Women’s Reservation, Lokpal and the Food Security Bills were first introduced in the RajyaSabha and then brought to the Lok Sabha. Except the Women’s Reservation Bill, the other two Bills came to the Lok Sabha subsequently and were approved.
As per the Rules and Procedure of Parliament, no Bill will lapse if it is either introduced or approved by the Rajya Sabha. Such a Bill will not lapse even if the Lok Sabha is dissolved while the legislation is pending with it.
The latest decision to introduce the Telangana Bill in the Upper House was taken because there will be no strong opposition from Seemandhra MPs whose strength in the Rajya Sabha is less, and the BJP, the main Opposition party, has declared its commitment to statehood for the region.
If the Upper House gives its nod to the Telangana Bill with whatever amendments, it will reach the Lok Sabha and it is for the House to take it forward.
“There will be psychological pressure on the parties to push forward the Bill in the Lok Sabha once it is approved by the Rajya Sabha,” said the AICC member. He said that the people will also be convinced of the sincerity of the Congress on Telangana.
Next: MPs keen to stall T till March 2014
MPs keen to stall T till March 2014
S.N.C.N. Acharyulu | DC
Hyderabad: Seemandhra Congress MPs have begun to believe that if they can stall the proposed bifurcation of the state till March 2014, the state will remain undivided. They are pinning their hopes on YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and TD president N. Chandrababu Naidu securing enough seats in the general election next year, to prevent the state’s division.
These MPs feel that neither the NDA nor the UPA will get a majority. They have to depend on regional parties, particularly the YSRC or the TD. The YSRC is opposing the division of the state totally while the TD is opposing it under the guise of “sama nyayam” (equal justice for both regions).
The Congress MPs are confident that both these parties will get a sizeable number of seats in the LS elections.
The TD will not support the Congress-led UPA, but the YSRC has kept its options open on supporting either formation at the Centre. The Congress group is certain that both leaders will use their support to block bifurcation of the state.
As things stand now, the Assembly will express its opinion on the the Telangana Bill by January 23.
This will be sent to President Pranab Mukherjee by January 26. By January-end, the President may send the Bill to the Union Cabinet.
According to a statement made by the Chief Election Commissioner a few days ago, the schedule for the General Election will be announced in the first week of March.
After the schedule is announced, the Centre cannot go ahead with state bifurcation. That makes February the crucial month.
The Congress MPs feel that if for any reason the Centre is not able to complete its process before March, the state will remain united.
Jaganmohan Reddy has already announced that if his party wins 35 Lok Sabha seats, its support will be crucial to form a government at the Centre.
He has also said that the YSRC will support a Prime Minister who will keep the state undivided. That becomes the basis for the YSRC's support to either the UPA or the NDA.
Naidu is expected to support the NDA - he is expecting to sign an alliance with the BJP in the state - and he may also not agree to let the ruling dispensation divide the state.
This will be a repeat of the 1999 scenario, when Naidu used his support to the NDA to stall bifurcation of AP, when three other states were created.
If a third front emerges victorious at the Centre, it will expect support from both Jaganmohan Reddy and Naidu, and there will be no question of bifurcation.
The third front will in any case comprise parties that are aligned against bifurcation: the Trinamul Congress, DMK, and the Samajwadi Party.
But Telangana Congress MPs are confident that things will not go that extent, and that the new state would be formed by the end of February.
They say that the Congress central leadership has decided to convene a special session of Parliament for three days in the first week of February to pass the Telangana Bill.
