Hyderabad: While defending his decision on giving notice to Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar, seeking permission to move a resolution on rejecting the Telangana Bill, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy said on Monday that he had given the notice because the Bill which was sent to the Assembly was incomplete and a draft Bill.
Meanwhile Union minister and a member of the Group of Ministers constituted to prepare the Telangana Bill, Jairam Ramesh, told the media in New Delhi that the original Bill and the draft Bill were one and the same.
Reacting to this Reddy commented, “I came to know that a Union minister has said that the original Bill and the draft Bill are the same, is this his personal opinion or the Union government’s opinion?” he asked.
After the House adjourned for the day, the Chief Minister told the media that it seemed that within the Union government itself there was ambiguity on the Telangana Bill and the Centre should give clarity on the original Bill and the draft Bill.
Reddy said the Union government should send the original Bill, which would be introduced in Parliament, to the President and in turn he would send the same to the Assembly to express its opinion.
He added that the Assembly should express its opinion on the Bill that would be introduced in Parliament and not the draft Bill. If the Assembly made any amendments to the Bill, Parliament might accept or reject it.
If the central government did not give its opinion on the Bill, then how could the Assembly will express its opinion? he asked and said that if the Centre sent the total and complete Bill to the Assembly than it would express its views.
Jairam Ramesh, meanwhile, said on Monday that the draft Bill was in accordance with the Constitution and didn’t violate any clauses of it. Reacting to Kiran Kumar Reddy’s remarks, he said, “Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy says the Bill is against the Constitution; I cannot say anything as I am not a legal expert like him.”
He added that the GoM would meet once the Telangana Bill was returned to New Delhi and discuss the objections raised by the Chief Minister and others. He said, “We will definitely present the Bill in the upcoming Parliament Session, let us see whether the BJP supports the Bill or not.”
