Expedite separate state: T Congmen urge President

HYDERABAD: After representations by Seemandhra leaders, it was now the turn of Telangana Congress lawmakers to petition President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday seeking his intervention for quickening the legislative process for formation of Telangana state.

The T Congress leaders, after a meeting at panchayat raj minister K Jana Reddy's residence on Tuesday morning, met the President at Rashtrapati Nilayam in Bollaram here where they explained to him how Seemandhra legislators were stalling the proceedings of the Assembly with a view to delaying the debate on T Bill in the Assembly.

The delegation was led by deputy chief minister Damodara Rajanarasimha, Jana Reddy and Rajya Sabha member V Hanumantha Rao.

After giving the representation to the President, Jana Reddy and MP Gutta Sukhender Reddy released copies of the memorandum submitted to the President which included a request to him not to extend 42-day period given to the Assembly for conclusion of the debate on the T Bill.

Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat later, Jana Reddy and Sukhender Reddy said they would consider those delaying or preventing discussion on the T-Bill in the Assembly as conspirators.

Asked whether chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, a strong supporter of United Andhra, too would be considered as conspirator, Jana Reddy said that the state Cabinet was divided and the chief minister was against formation of T. 'You can draw your own inferences,' Jana Reddy said.

However, Sukhender Reddy, maintained that all those who were opposing T-Bill including the chief minister, Seemandhra Ministers and even TDP leaders would be considered conspirators.

Jana Reddy requested Speaker N Manohar that the debate initiated in the House on the T-Bill was completed. If the Seemandhra members prevented the debate, it would lead to a friction between Seemandhra and Telangana, Jana Reddy said.

In the letter submitted to the President, the T Congress legislators urged him not to entertain the request of the Seemandhra lawmakers to extend 42-day period given to the Assembly to discuss on the T Bill.

'The time given by you is sufficient for detailed discussion. We wish to bring to your notice the fact that a request for extension of time period is only to postpone and finally attempt to sabotage the process of creation of separate state of Telangana, and not for any other purpose'.

'Though the AP Reorganisation Bill-2013 reached the state Legislature 11 days ago, it was not taken up for meaningful discussion till now in both the Houses.

We have already lost some precious working days due to blocking the proceedings of both the Houses by certain group of legislators and if the same attitude continues we will lose some more time before the House meets again on January 3,' Jana Reddy said in the letter.

'The members from Seemandhra were not allowing any members to express their views on the Bill, blocking any debate and completely disrupting the proceedings. We feel that this is being done with a view to prevent the Telangana Bill from reaching the Parliament in time,' Jana Reddy said.

V Hanumantha Rao, who was also part of the delegation that called on the President, said that the delegation made it clear that Seemandhra legislators were deliberately stalling the proceedings of the House with an intent to delay debate on the Bill.

'I have told the President that Kiran Kumar Reddy was saying that he would obstruct the Bill, come what may,' Hanumantha Rao said. The delegation pleaded with the President not to pay any attention to the argument that if AP is divided similar demands would come up in other states.

'What is being done now in AP is only 'detaching' what has been 'attached' to Andhra state. This will not amount to division of the state,' Hanumantha Rao argued.