Telangana bill passed in the 'dark'

The Lok Sabha passed the Telangana Bill through a voice vote on Tuesday amid tremendously noisy protests that stalled both houses several times during the day.

Speaker Meira Kumar also ordered Lok Sabha TV to stop the telecast of House proceedings while members voted for the creation of a separate Telangana.

The Centre had taken a decision last year to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh to create Telangana.

Both houses of Parliament were adjourned several times during the day, before and after the Bill was introduced for debate.

Parliament opened to absolute pandemonium on Tuesday with screaming Andhra MPs drowning out proceedings. Houses were adjourned tillnoon after which Parliament began the debate on the contentious Bill. Rajya Sabha was further adjourned till 2 pm, and Lok Sabha till 12.45 pm and then till 3 pm.

There was unprecedented security outside Parliament since morning to prevent protests from going out of hand. There were also rumours that Andhra chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy might resign if the Bill is passed.

The BJP also supported the Bill but demanded a discussion first. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj told Speaker Meira Kumar that her party was in favour of the Telangana Bill and was ready for its passage -- after a debate where it could put forward its viewpoint.

BSP chief Mayawati supported a separate Telangana, and also demanded a further division of Uttar Pradesh into four more states for better administration and development of the region.

Meanwhile, security in the Seemandhra region of Andhra Pradesh was strengthened Tuesday and forces put on alert to meet any eventuality.

"We are monitoring the situation... police in districts have already been asked to be on alert... depending upon the situation we will take appropriate action," Additional Director General of Police (law and order) VSK Kaumudi said.

Police forces are already on alert in view of the protests and bandhs in Seemandhra districts over the past few days.

Ever since the Centre took a decision last year to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh, agitational programmes such as bandhs, massive protests and demonstrations were being held in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions (collectively called Seemandhra) against the move.

On the other hand, Telangana protagonists are preparing for celebrations as they expected the Lok Sabha to give its nod to the Bill.

There are indications that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy would finally bite the bullet and announce his resignation today against the state's division.

In a key bureaucratic reshuffle, two senior IAS officers in the CM office were transferred yesterday. Several ministers close to him have been saying for the last several days that he would quit.

Senior leaders from all parties are camping in Delhi in view of the scheduled debate in Lok Sabha and possible passage of the Telangana bill.

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who addressed a farmers' rally in Punjab on Sunday last, is in Delhi, meeting leaders of different parties. The former chief minister bats for equitable justice to Telangana and Seemandhra (coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema).

Naidu met top BJP leaders L K Advani, Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh and important leaders like M Karunanidhi, Jayalalithaa, Sharad Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, A B Bardhan in the last fortnight to expose the "unilateral" ways of ruling Congress vis-a-vis division.

YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, Lok Sabha member from Kadapa, was also in Delhi to attend the Parliament session.

He met BJP president Rajnath Singh, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat and other leaders to seek their support against the division.

TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, also a Lok Sabha member, has been camping in Delhi to attend the ongoing Parliament session. He exuded confidence that a separate state would be a reality soon.