Hyderabad: With the Rajya Sabha set to adjourn sine die on Thursday, a major embarrassment for the NDA, in the form of voting on K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao’s Private Member’s Bill on Special Category Status for AP, due on Friday, would be averted.
“Taking into account the fact that a majority of Congress, AIADMK, DMK and Communist members want to leave for their respective states for campaigning in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and since there is no pending government business in the House, the Rajya Sabha may be adjourned sine die by Thursday afternoon,” a key NDA functionary said.
“I too was told that the House may be adjourned sine die tomorrow. However, one thing is sure; if not this Friday, the NDA has to face the floor test at least in the next session,” Dr Rao said.
His Bill, incorporating Special Category Status to AP has already been introduced, considered and debated in the House. However, when Dr Rao pressed for division on the Bill two weeks ago, the House was adjourned on a technicality – lack of quorum. The RS Secretariat then fixed May 13 as the day of voting on the Bill.
Meanwhile, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has instructed the party’s Rajya Sabha leadership to issue three-line whip to all its Members to be present and vote in favour of the Private Member’s Bill moved by Dr Rao. It is common knowledge that the present composition of the House clearly indicates that the Congress-led Opposition commands a majority.
“In fact, the special status issue was first raised by BJP members who were in Opposition at the time the House took up the AP Bifurcation Bill. At their instance, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave the assurance.
They failed to implement their own proposal in the last two years. Somehow they want to avoid it. Putting politics aside, the BJP should have supported the Bill and avoid any embarrassment in the House,” Dr Rao said.
