With the UPA government deciding to convene Parliament in the first fortnight of February to pass vote-on-account and pending anti-corruption bills, leaders on both sides of the divide in the State wonder whether the Telangana bill would really be passed in both the Houses.
Since Opposition parties usually do not allow the treasury benches to pass key bills in a session convened for vote-on-account, speculation is rife on the stand the BJP may take on the T bill in Parliament. However, according to sources, BJP president Rajnath Singh told party State leaders here Wednesday that the party will support the bill if it’s introduced in the next session of Parliament. Rajnath Singh, who is here to attend the national executive meeting of the RSS, met with the party’s State executive committee members.
He also told them the party will fight for Seemandhra’s rights in Parliament, the sources said. BJP State president G Kishan Reddy too asserted his party will back the bill if it’s tabled in Parliament and his Seemandhra colleagues like Kambhampati Hari Babu expressed the hope that the party central leadership will not blindly support the bill that ignores Seemandhra concerns.
The Congress, on the other hand, also seems to be sticking to its plans. Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was here to deliver the PV Narasimha Rao Memorial Lecture, said they were hopeful that the T State would be a reality before elections.
He exuded confidence that the Assembly would conclude its debate before Jan 23, the deadline set by the President for it to express its opinion. Azad also pointed out that Parliament has the power to divide any State in the country and said the Union government would go ahead as per Constitutional norms. Asked about the possibility of extending the Jan 23 deadline, Azad said the President had given adequate time for the Assembly to discuss the bill. After calling on Azad, former PCC chief D Srinivas expressed confidence that the T bill would be adopted by Parliament in the ensuing session itself.
Courtesy: New Indian Express
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