Centre likely to table T Bill tomorrow

HYDERABAD: The Centre has reportedly decided to table the AP Reorganisation Bill-2013 in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, contrary to earlier indications that it may do so Wednesday.

Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao and TDP's Rajya Sabha member CM Ramesh cited credible information to claim that T-Day is at hand. An agency report, quoting a senior Home Ministry official, also said the bill is likely to be tabled in Parliament on Tuesday after President Pranab Mukherjee returns it Monday.

In the wake of this development, the BJP, whose support is critical for the passage of the bill in Parliament, sent mixed signals.

Party senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu, who is busy in back-channel talks with Union Minister Jairam Ramesh, said, 'The BJP will examine the bill before taking a decision on supporting it.'

Naidu, who was in Nellore, while reiterating the BJP's commitment to separate Telangana, stressed the need to address Seemandhra concerns

He revealed that he had given some suggestions to Jairam Ramesh, AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel when they called on him to discuss amendments to the bill.

Significantly, he said, 'The Centre appears to have ignored most of my suggestions.' And interestingly, Naidu, who hails from Seemandhra, received brickbats for his remarks from some of his party leaders from Telangana.

BJP MLA from Mahbubnagar, Yennam Srinivas Reddy, wondered why Naidu had begun harping on Seemandhra's concerns all of a sudden. He warned Telangana would erupt in anger if the bill was not passed in this session of Parliament because of BJP.

Telangana Congress MP Ponnam Prabhakar went one step further and alleged that the BJP had begun taking a U-turn at the behest of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu.

Ponnam's Seemandhra counterparts in the Congress, meanwhile, sounded confident the bill wouldn't pass muster in Parliament. 'There is no way the bill is going to get Parliament's nod,' claimed Union Textiles Minister Kavuri Sambasiva Rao.

Playing the contrarian in the Seemandhra camp, Congress rebel MP Sabbam Hari felt the passage of bill is certain as the Congress and BJP have come to an understanding to split AP.

He, however, hastened to add they would go all-out to disrupt the Lok Sabha. 'We will give a fresh notice of no-confidence against the government on Monday. 70 MPs are signing the notice,' he claimed. MP L Rajagopal also threatened to play Kabbadi in Parliament.