Hyderabad/New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh legislature got six more days to debate Telangana bill as President Pranab Mukherjee yesterday extended, till January 30, the deadline for sending its opinion.
Legislature Secretary Raja Sadaram read out in the Andhra assembly the letter of the president, allowing another week to debate Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill 2013. The deadline for the legislature to send back the bill to the president with its opinion was ending yesterday and the state government had sought time till February 20.
After the president’s letter reached the legislature, the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the state assembly held a meeting to decide as to how to utilise the extended time. The meeting, chaired by assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar, decided to have debate on all remaining days, except the Republic Day.
However, there was no consensus during the meeting on conducting voting on the bill. Legislators from Telangana are opposing the demand of their counterparts from Seemandhra (Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra) for voting on the bill.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who began his speech on Wednesday, resumed it in the afternoon after the speaker allowed legislators from various parties to express their views. There was ruckus in the house when Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) took exception to certain remarks made by the chief minister about the development in Telangana.
The Speaker adjourned the house for 10 minutes and after the BAC meeting, he adjourned it for the day. State minister from Telangana K Jana Reddy said the extension given by the president would have no impact on the process for formation of separate Telangana state.
Andhra Chief Secretary P K Mohanty had last week sent a letter to union home ministry, seeking extension of the time by four weeks on the ground that the time given till January 23 was not sufficient to complete the debate. The ministry had also summoned Mohanty and other officials to the national capital to know about the status of the debate. IANS
