T resolution in House after local polls

"Without resolution in the House, Parliament cannot proceed in the matter" Venkat Parsa New Delhi: Senior Congress Member of Parliament, Lagadapati Rajagopal, on Tuesday indicated that a resolution on the bifurcation of the State would be introduced in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly. It is likely to be brought up in the House after the local bodies' polls, he said. Without the resolution in the Assembly, Parliament cannot proceed in the matter, he said, pointing out the practice when the three States of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand were created in 2000. In fact, each of the parent States of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh had to pass the resolution more than once, as the previous ones lapsed. It is only after the State Assembly passes the resolution that the Bill can be taken up in Parliament, Rajagopal said. This assumes significance in the wake of AICC General Secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh Digvijay Singh's assertion in Hyderabad on Monday that a decision would soon be taken on Telangana. Rajagopal said according to information available with him, the resolution on Telangana is likely to be brought in the State Assembly after the local bodies polls and predicted that the same would be defeated by a thumping majority on the floor of the House. "An overwhelming majority of 225 will vote against it in the House of 294," he claimed. Rajagopal recalled that when the then Union Home Minister P Chidambaram made the announcement on December 9, 2009, that the process would be initiated for the formation of Telangana, at that, Chidambaram had announced that appropriate resolution would be moved in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly. Union Textiles Minister Kavuri Sambasiva Rao's statement was distorted, he said and asserted that he remained committed to united Andhra Pradesh. Rajagopal said unless and until there is a whip issued on the voting of the resolution, he would not like to comment on it. So far, there is no declaration from the Congress High Command and there is no direction in this regard. Rajagopal said the stand of the TDP will be crucial. In the Congress, he claimed, a majority are for united Andhra Pradesh but wondered what stand the TDP will take on the proposed Telangana resolution, when it is introduced in the State Assembly. Even in 2009, initially all the political parties had dared the Congress to bring the resolution. When it was finally brought, the TDP developed cold-feet then. Harking back to Telugu Desam Party founder N T Rama Rao, who swore by the Telugu people, Rajagopal appealed to TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu to withdraw his letter agreeing to the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. "If the State is divided, then I will quit politics," said Rajagopal, claiming that 90 per cent of the people are against the division of Andhra Pradesh. All the MLAs know this and said it is the responsibility of all political leaders and all political parties to keep the State united, he said. Rajagoapl appealed to the students not to commit suicides. He claimed that certain political elements are instigating the same and they should desist from doing so.