New Delhi: Union minister of state for parliamentary affairs Prakash Javadekar sought two days time to get back to Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari after consulting the Cabinet on the tricky issue of the allotment of RS MPs to new Telangana and Seemandhra states. Majority of the 18 MPs, barring those belonging to the Telugu Desam, attended the meeting and opposed the move during which Mr Javadekar intervened and asked Mr Ansari to call for a meeting on Friday, by then he would consult the Union Cabinet and find a resolution.
The draw of lots was much-awaited because of the possibility of allotting MPs hailing from Telangana to Andhra Pradesh and those hailing from Andhra Pradesh to Telangana. The controversy arose after the Act said out of the total 18 Rajya Sabha MPs belonging to Andhra Pradesh, 11 would go to Seemandhra and the rest seven would represent the Telangana region. But, currently 9 of the MPs belong to Telangana region and they don’t want to represent Seemandhra state in the Rajya Sabha.
Senior Rajya Sabha member from Congress V. Hanumantha Rao, who attended the meeting, told Deccan Chronicle that members objected to the method of choosing their states through lots. “We told the Chairman that we have been fighting for a separate Telangana state and it would not be proper for us to represent the neighbouring Seemandhra state in the Rajya Sabha. If that happens, we won’t be able to spend our MPLAD in our state of Telangana,” he said. Echoing his views, TRS Rajya Sabha member K. Keshav Rao said the MPs should be allotted according to their nativity.
“Spending of MPLADs would become a big issue if we represent the neighbouring state. We wanted the Government to either bring an Amendment or bring an Ordinance to this effect,” he said. Mr Hanumantha Rao said the Rajya Sabha chairman agreed to convene another meeting on Friday after Mr Javadekar sought two days time to arrive at a resolution after consulting the Union Cabinet. Sources said officials of the home ministry feels that the issue should be sorted out before the Telangana state comes into being on June 2.
