Telangana Bill sent to AP assembly with 6-week timeline

The Centre on Thursday sent the controversial Telangana Bill to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, setting a six-week timeline to approve the proposal to bifurcate the state.

A senior home ministry official said the Andhra Pradesh State Reorganisation Bill remitted to it by President Pranab Mukherjee, was on Thursday dispatched to assembly speaker N Manohar's office.

As suggested by the President, the Assembly has been asked to consider the Bill and respond by January 23, 2014. The Winter Session of the state legislature began on Thursday.

The President had earlier sought legal opinion as he wanted the Bill, which provides for creation of Telangana by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh, to be legally sound. The Bill has already seen a virtual revolt from the state Congress' own Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy who had said recently during a public rally that he would not allow Andhra Pradesh to be divided.

"We will see how the bill is passed in Parliament. United Andhra Pradesh is not just a slogan, it’s our policy," Reddy had said.

However, experts opine that whatever the Assembly does, Parliament can go ahead with its legislative process for creation of the new state. The Union Cabinet had on December 5 given the go-ahead for the creation of a 10-district Telangana and outlined the blueprint for carving out the country's 29th state.

Telangana will comprise 10 districts and the rest of Andhra Pradesh will consists of 13 districts. Hyderabad will remain the common capital for both the states for a period not exceeding 10 years.

The governor of Telangana Will have a special responsibility for security of life, liberty and property of all those who reside in the common capital area. The governor may be assisted by two advisors to be appointed by the Centre.

In the Lok Sabha, members of Seemandhra, including YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy, were on their feet protesting creation of Telangana and demanded a united  Andhra Pradesh.