T heat intensifies

Hyderabad: Political heat is building up both in New Delhi and in the state with the protagonists of united Andhra Pradesh and Telangana working out strategies and counter-strategies.

Congress leaders from Seemandhra in New Delhi, along with YSRCP and TDP MPs, are working on a two-pronged strategy – One to try and see that their move to bring no-confidence motion against the UPA government fructifies, and alternatively impress upon President Pranab Mukherjee not to send the Draft T Bill to the state Assembly in a hurry.

A delegation of nine MPs called on the President on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum to him, asking him to refer the Draft T Bill for legal opinion before sending it to the Assembly. They said due constitutional process was not followed and unilateral decisions were being taken on the issue of bifurcation.

They also urged him to give sufficient time to the Assembly to discuss the Bill. Incidentally, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu is also said to be taking keen interest in ensuring that the notice for no-confidence motion gets support from BJP which has about 131 members in the Lok Sabha. According to party leader CM Ramesh, Naidu is in touch with BJP leaders.

In a strategic move, the TDP had on Wednesday given a notice of no- confidence in which it did not refer to Telangana issue. The notice was on account of price rise, corruption and security aspects of the country. It may be mentioned here that the BJP had stated that it was committed to T issue and hence cannot support the no-confidence motion. ­It could consider support only if the issues were other than Telangana.

In Hyderabad, a day ahead of the winter session of the State Assembly, Minister for Minor Irrigation T G Venkatesh told the media that they were in the middle of battlefield and that they were ready to kill or get killed.

Appreciating the move of the Seemandhra Congress MPs to go ahead with their decision to give notice for no-confidence despite threat of disciplinary action by the party high command, he said the state leaders were discussing the possibility of seeking dissolution of the Assembly in case the President does not give at least 45 days time to discuss and return the bill.

The T leaders, too, are getting ready to see that the moves of the Seemandhra Congress leaders do not succeed. The T MPs on Wednesday met the AICC general secretary in-charge Digvijay Singh in Delhi and discussed the issue with him.

The TJAC leaders are also planning to go New Delhi again and will see that the central government makes amendment to the draft T Bill and sends it to the state Assembly immediately.

The TJAC chairman M Kodandaram called upon all the T MLAs cutting across party lines to remain united and see that fruitful discussion takes place on the bill when it is referred to the state Assembly.