GoM on T to meet on Feb 4

• Centre going ahead with T legislation
• Cabinet likely to take up Bill on Feb 7
• Bill for Parliament in second week

New Delhi: The Group of Ministers (GoM) on Telangana will meet on February 4 to firm up the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2013.

The Centre has decided to go ahead with the Telangana Bill, notwithstanding the move of Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to seek a further extension of three weeks time beyond January 30 deadline for the Andhra Pradesh Assembly to consider the same and send it back.

The Telangana Bill is expected to go to the Union Cabinet on February 7. Within a week after the Union Cabinet clears it, the Telangana Bill will be tabled in Parliament.

The next session of Parliament is from February 5 to 21. The Government is hopeful of bringing the Telangana Bill to Parliament in the second week of the session, which would give it enough lead time required to pass the Telangana Bill in both Houses of Parliament.

The Centre will go ahead with the Telangana Bill, with or without the comments of the Andhra Pradesh Legislature.

However, the expectation here is that the State Legislature will forward the material like speeches made and the written speeches submitted, besides the amendments suggested by various members of the Legislature.

The Centre is playing down the controversy over the Telangana Bill and Draft Bill as it has already been made clear by Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, who is a member of the GoM on Telangana.

He said the draft of the Telangana Bill was prepared by the GoM and it was vetted by the Law Ministry and approved by the Union Cabinet and forwarded by the President to the Andhra Pradesh Legislature.