GoM Concludes Consultations

• Seemandhra Union Ministers fall in line
• Shinde: T Bill in Winter Session
• Final meeting of GoM on 21st

The Group of Ministers (GoM), set up by the central government to look into the creation of a Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh, has completed the process of discussions with various stakeholders. With the meetings held on Monday with the Union Ministers from both Telangana and Seemandhra and also Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, the GoM has concluded its process of consultations. The Supreme Court of India on Monday dismissed a cluster of petitions challenging the decision of the Union government to bifurcate AP. This has cleared the way for the Bill to be moved in the Assembly and then in Parliament.

"We have completed the process of discussions with others. Now the GoM members will meet to discuss among themselves to finalise the report to be submitted to the Cabinet as soon as possible," Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said on Monday. The next meeting of the GoM is likely to be held on November 21.

Digvijay Singh, AICC general secretary in charge of AP affairs, also said that the process of consultations had come to an end and the draft Bill would be sent to the AP Assembly soon. The GoM will meet once again to examine the draft Bill and finalise its report which will be sent to the Union Cabinet which is expected to clear them by the month end.

Digvijaya said it was good that the Union Ministers from Seemandhra had given up their demand for reconsideration of the decision to bifurcate the State and demanded for a package to be given to the Seemandhra region. Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy , who met the GoM on Monday and made an elaborate presentation once again for about two hours, did not budge from his stated stand of opposition to the decision of the CWC and the UPA government to bifurcate AP. He appealed to the GoM not to divide the State. After a series of meetings between the ministers' panel and Union ministers from Andhra Pradesh and Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Shinde told reporters that the Telangana Bill would be tabled in the Winter Session of Parliament, which commences from December 5.

Sources also said that following an instruction from Congress high command, the GoM had held a series of meetings with different stakeholders, including seven political parties, in the last 10 days. The only party that did not respond to the invitation of the Home Ministry was Telugu Desam Party (TDP). The GoM had received hundreds of representations from individuals and groups from both the regions of AP.

Digvijay said it was good that the Union Ministers from Seemandhra had given up their demand for reconsideration of the decision to bifurcate the State and demanded for a package to be given to the Seemandhra region

Union Ministers from Seemandhra have at last fallen in line on Monday and accepted the inevitability of bifurcation. After making out a case for keeping Andhra Pradesh united, they said if bifurcation was inevitable, a package must be given for the Seemandhra region, so that the division did not leave behind any animosity between the people of the two regions.

Besides, Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) area should be declared a Union Territory on the lines of Delhi. Since more than 30 lakh people from Seemandhra live in Hyderabad, the city should belong to all.

All the nine Union Ministers from Seemandhra region appeared before the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Telangana. These included Tribal Affairs and Panchayati Raj Minister V Kishore Chandra Deo, HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju, Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi, Textiles Minister Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, Minister of State for Finance J D Seelam, Minister of State for Railways Kotla Surya Prakash Reddy, Minister of State for Petroleum Panabaka Lakshmi, Minister of State for Commerce D Purandeshwari and Minister of State for Telecom Killi Kripa Rani.

Earlier, Union Ministers from Seemandhra region held a breakfast meeting at the residence of Pallam Raju to finalise their stand before the GoM.

Kishore Chandra Deo, who gave a separate memorandum to the GoM, said, “I am against the mechanism of joint capital. Why should Hyderabad be the joint capital after the bifurcation of the state? I will have to travel 1000 km to reach the capital. Instead, I have proposed that Vishakhapatnam should be the capital of the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh, after Telangana is carved out.”

Earlier, Telangana Union Minister under the leadership of S Jaipal Reddy represented to the GoM and demanded that there should be limitations on Hyderabad city and it should be made joint capital for a brief period. Hyderabad should be under the purview of the Telangana government, they said. They also demanded that there should be change in the status of Bhadrachalam which is part of Khammam district.

The other Union Ministers from Seemandhra submitted a seven-page Note to the GoM, with a one-page Preamble.

It argued that the proposed division of Andhra Pradesh was a politically-motivated demand and if implemented, it could set a wrong precedent.

It pointed out how Justice B N Srikrishna Committee, set up by the Union Government, had highlighted the complexities involved in the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. It stated that the well-established procedure was being given a go-by. The entire exercise was aimed at political gains.

The Note gave detailed response to each of the 11 issues in the GoM Terms of Reference. They highlighted the concerns of Seemandhra people, including those living in Hyderabad. They said no measure should be taken to divide the state without addressing these concerns.

The Home Ministry has started compiling reports of different ministries which gave their opinion on distribution of assets and other issues between the new state and the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh.

Once the Cabinet clears the proposal, it will go to the President who in turn will refer it to Andhra Pradesh Assembly for approval. However, the Assembly resolution is not binding under the Constitution.

The central government will then prepare Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill and with Union Cabinet's approval, it will send it to the President before being tabled in Parliament. The President would in probability send the Bill to the Assembly for its consideration.