CM to appear before GoM, No package in T Bill

• Keen on CM’s approval so that he doesn’t backtrack later
• Bill in winter session; special session of parliament, if needed
• Assembly not to vote on Bill, but opinion and suggestions will be sought
• Additional security forces to deal with violence in the region
• Same Governor for both states
• Most of the work is completed; Hyd status, Article 371-D, water sharing issues to be fine-tuned

New Delhi: The Telangana Bill is being drafted on the lines of the Chhattisgarh Bill and will not include any package that is being prepared by the GoM presently. Sources stated that the package and the Bill were two different documents. A specific timeframe would be given to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly for the passage of the Bill and if no response was received till then, the Bill would be deemed to have been considered by the Assembly. The Assembly would not be asked to vote on the Bill but opinions and suggestions would be sought from it on the creation of the separate state of Telangana.

The Bill will be finalised in the Cabinet shortly and sent to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly. Thereafter, it will be taken up in the Winter Session of parliament. “If need be, the session will be extended or a Special Session of parliament will be convened for the purpose,” stated a senior leader.

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who has fallen in line, has been invited to hold confabulations with the GoM on Thursday to fine-tune the recommendations.

The GoM will have two rounds of meeting again on November 18 and November 20 to finalise the report. “The Chief Minister has been called by the GoM tomorrow.

He is the Chief of the State, so the GoM felt that he has to be consulted,” informed Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.

Fearing that there may be law and order problem in the state, now that the Bill is in the final lap, the Union Home Ministry is gearing up to send additional security forces to maintain peace in the region.

Sources stated that initially Andhra Pradesh Governor will officiate for both the states. Most of the work has been completed and in the next three rounds of meetings of the GoM, all the remaining complex issues related to Hyderabad, Article 371-D and water-sharing will also be fine-tuned.

The Centre has invited the Chief Minister to the GoM to get his final approval on the major issues, so that he may not create any hurdles in the future and backtrack on the same. His stamp on the complex issues would smoothen the bifurcation process.

Interestingly, even as the GoM is still busy preparing the report along with the Union Secretaries of key ministries in order to give a due share to both the regions, complaints have started pouring in that the scales are being tilted in favour of the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh.

Since all the political parties, except theTDP, have represented before the GoM, with most of them favouring the division of the state, the Chief Minister, who has been opposed to it, has been called, lest he may complain of any bias against Seemandhra region.