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Sonia discusses legal nitty-gritty
Sonia Discusses Legal Nitty-Gritty, Package for Seemandhra, Formation of Telangana. Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday evening held a meeting at her 10, Janpath residence in the capital to review the developments relating to the formation of Telangana.
Keen on a decent package for Seemandhra
- GoM ministers, Digvijay call on Sonai Gandhi
- Take stock of challenges to T formation
- Sonia asks for legal clarity on Art 371-D
- Also discusses increasing T Assembly seats
New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday evening held a meeting at her 10, Janpath residence in the capital to review the developments relating to the formation of Telangana. It is learnt that the meeting reviewed the developments relating to the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Telangana Report that is expected to be finalised on Wednesday and tabled before the Union Cabinet, along with the Telangana Bill, on Thursday. Present at the meeting were Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Defence Minister A K Antony and Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, who are all members of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Telangana, as well. Also present was Congress president’s political secretary Ahmed Patel.
The meeting assumed significance as the Congress top leadership is still grappling with the legal issues like the Hyderabad status during the period when it would be the joint capital for Telangana and the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh. A new issue has been raised for increasing the number of Telangana Assembly seats from the existing 119 seats to 153, by 34 seats. What is more important is the lack of legal finality on the issue of Article 371-D of the Constitution. Sonia Gandhi is understood to have sought clarity on the issue as President Pranab Mukherjee has been approached by the leaders of Seemandhra region, bringing to his notice the need for deletion of Article 371-D before proceeding in the matter. While the protagonists of Telangana are emphatic that there is no need for its deletion, those opposing it have taken the view that the government cannot proceed with the bifurcation till it is deleted through a Constitutional amendment.
Sonia Gandhi is said to be keen on a decent package for Seemandhra region, in order to ensure that the Telangana process becomes smooth.
