In a bid to break the logjam in Andhra Pradesh legislature over the draft State Reorganisation Bill 2013, Business Advisory Committee of both the Houses met twice on Monday but failed in finding a way out.
The meeting was convened as the Session of the Assembly and the Council was adjourned for third consecutive day without any debate as the members from Seemandhra region continued their slogan shouting tactics to stall the proceedings.
Speaker N Manohar and Chairman Chakrapani first adjourned their respective House for some time as the Seemandhra members rushed into the Well shouting slogans against the Bill and demanding a resolution to keep the State united.
When the two House reassembled and the trouble continued, they adjourned the Session for the day.
later, the BAC meeting was held in Speaker’s chamber to arrive at a consensus on how to go ahead with the debate.
In a technical victory for the supporters of Telangana State, Speaker informed the BAC that the debate had already started on the draft Bill and the question now was how to carry it forward smoothly.
He told the members that they could bring their amendments to the Bill before January 10. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy also said that the House should debate the Bill with voting on each and every clause of the draft Bill.
He said that the members should move the amendments to the draft Bill and not submit any written proposals as they would not be taken into consideration.
Government chief whip Venkatramanna Reddy said that it was unfortunate that debate was being stalled. YSRCP’s demand for a resolution in support of unity along with the debate on the draft Bill was meaningless, he said.
“If debate does not take place, we will give our views to the Speaker in written form,” he warned. The Congress and Government were of one view that the House should debate the Bill, he added.
After three- hour long meeting in the morning, the BAC was adjourned to meet again in the afternoon. The main Opposition Telugu Desam Party appeared divided on the issue as party’s leader from Seemandhra region Gali Mududdkrishnamma Naidu staged walkout from the second BAC meeting in the afternoon and party’s leader from Telangana M Narasimhlu attended the meeting and supported debate on the Bill.
Muddukrishnamma Naidu said that he wanted the BAC to send back the Bill to the Centre. “I drew the attention of the BAC to the fact that all the States were divided only after the respective Assemblies passed resolutions. I wanted the same convention to be followed in case of Andhra Pradesh”.
After the second sitting of BAC, legislative Affairs Minister and pro-united State S Shailajanath said that the members could express their views and move a resolution during the debate on the Bill.
“Not debating the Bill was like cooperating in the division of the State,” he said. The Minister sought the cooperation of the members for the debate.
Criticising the YSRCP and the TDP, he said both the parties were afraid of debate as it would expose their real intentions.
These two parties were indirectly supporting the division of the State, he said. “There is no unanimity in the TDP and leaders are divided,” he added.
Another Minister Pitani Satyanarayana said that the members should not oppose the Telangana Bill but its provisions. “House proceedings should not be disturbed and smooth discussion should be ensured,” he said.
Even as one TDP leader walked out of the BAC meet, another party leader E Dayakar Rao told the media in the Assembly precincts that those stalling the House and preventing the debate should be thrown out to ensure smooth conduct of the House.
Two senior members of TRS T Harish Rao and E Rajinder expressed their happiness over the statement of the Speaker that the debate had begun on the draft Bill in the House. “This is a good news. Now the Speaker should ensure smooth conduct of the debate,” Rajinder said.
Meanwhile, the growing frustration among the Telangana supporters over the deadlock in the Assembly found its vent outside the House. The Osmania University campus in Hyderabad witnessed a fresh round of turmoil as the students tried to march towards the State Assembly to lay a siege with the demand for ‘unconditional Telangana’.
When the police locked the gates to keep the students confined to campus, they staged a sit in and resorted to pelting stones. The police lobbed tear gas shells to chase away the students.