Speaker N Manohar on Monday announced that legislators should send amendments, if any, to the draft AP Reorganisation Bill-2013 in writing to his office before 1 p.m. on Friday. He made the crucial announcement, while affirming that every member has the right to express his/her views on the Bill.
He is learnt to have told the MLAs to submit proposed amendments on a paper, not on their letter heads or in the form of affidavits.
The announcement came at a time when lawmakers were wondering what would he do if the stalemate on the T debate continues in the Assembly. Some MLAs believe he might prefer to return the Bill to the President ahead of the Jan 23 deadline tagging their amendments to it in case the House fails to resume the debate.
The fate of the debate hangs in balance as even Monday, the Assembly couldn’t resume the same with legislators on both sides of the divide continuing their competitive sloganeering. As soon as the House assembled in the morning, the members stormed into the well. The Speaker first adjourned the House for an hour and later, for the day. The government, it is learnt, has decided to resume the debate from Tuesday at any cost, even if it means suspending protesting MLAs. To facilitate the debate, it has decided to cancel the Question Hour. Earlier, in a bid to break the impasse, the Speaker held two meetings of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC).
However, consensus on resuming the debate eluded leaders of the various parties. According to sources, despite repeated appeals from the treasury benches, YSRC MLAs remained firm on their demand that a Samaikyandhra resolution be passed in the House. MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi asked the Speaker to clarify whether the debate had actually started. The Speaker is understood to have told the BAC the debate had indeed begun and that voting would be held on each clause but not on the Bill as such.
Sources said differences cropped up among TDP’s Seemandhra leaders at the meeting. While some such as Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu wanted the Bill to be returned to the Centre seeking clarifications on its various clauses, others such as P Kesav reportedly told the BAC they would cooperate if relevant information was placed before the House.
When the BAC sat for the second time, Muddukrishnama Naidu walked out in protest against the government’s refusal to return the Bill to the Centre.
Leaders from Telangana cutting across party lines wanted suspension of members if they continued to disrupt the proceedings.
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