UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi leaves the PMs residence after a meeting on Telangana on Friday
The Union cabinet on Friday evening cleared the Telangana Bill,which will now be tabled in the Rajya Sabha on February 12. The UPA government has proposed 32 amendments to the draft Telangana Bill but it was decided that Hyderabad will not be made a Union Territory as was demanded by the Seemandhra lobby.The 294-page Bill has been sent to President Pranab Mukherjee and after his clearance will be introduced in Parliament.By placing the Bill in he Rajya Sabha,the government wants to make sure that it does not lapse.A Bill placed in the Lok Sabha will lapse the moment the House is dissolved.The term of the Lok Sabha is coming to an end in a few weeks.
Sources privy to the developments revealed that the cabinet was favorably inclined to announce special financial packages to the Rayalaseema and north coastal Andhra regions.A high-powered committee will finalise the new capital for residuary Andhra Pradesh and the cabinet is learnt to have agreed to relax forest laws to acquire land for the new capital wherever it is located.According to the sources,the Bill has to be vetted by the law ministry after it is returned by the President and hence,the decision to table the Bill in Parliament on February 12.It will also give us time to prepare detailed notes for the 32 amendments,including the powers of the governor of Telangana,who will be positioned in the joint capital of Hyderabad, said a source.
Apparently,the BJP has given its consent to the amendments proposed by the Union cabinet to the Bill and has also offered a few of its own.Union minister Jairam Ramesh has already held one round of talks with BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu and,before the cabinet meeting on Friday,a second round was held between Venkaiah Naidu and Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Digvijay Singh.A third round of talks will be held between Ramesh and the BJP leader on Saturday.The amendments proposed by the BJP,which basically refer to the interests of the Seemandhra region,are understood to have been agreed to be incorporated in the Bill by the Congress.
After the Cabinet cleared Telangana Bill,the BJP said it would support the Bill in Parliament as it has not changed its stand on the new states formation.There is no change in our stand or policies with regard to Telangana formation.We are a national party and the stand of our national leadership on the issue is one, said BJP state leader Kishan Reddy in Delhi.
The cabinet meeting held at the Prime Ministers residence lasted for more than two hours and immediately after that,the Congress core committee met.The cabinet meeting saw heated exchanges between the Seemandhra ministers and Telangana minister S Jaipal Reddy when the former insisted on UT status for Hyderabad.In the end,the cabinet decided to drop the idea and stuck to retaining Hyderabad as the joint capital as envisaged in the draft Bill.The Rayala-Telangana move also found no takers.
The cabinet is also said to have cleared the proposal to grant financial packages for Rayalaseema and north coastal Andhra for which the 14th Finance Commission will work out special grants.
UNTANGLING
Centre has proposed 32 amendments to T Bill;Hyderabad will not be made Union Territory. The 294-page Bill after Presidents clearance to be introduced in Rajya Sabha on Feb.12.
High-powered committee to finalise new capital for residuary AP
BJP has given its consent to the amendments proposed by the cabinet and has also offered a few of its own
Cabinet decided to shift 86 villages in Khammam district that will be submerged by Polavaram dam to Godavari districts
86 T villages to become part of Seemandhra
New Delhi: It was also agreed to make available a special grant for the construction of the new capital in residuary Andhra Pradesh provided by the Government of India.
New Delhi: It was also agreed to make available a special grant for the construction of the new capital in residuary Andhra Pradesh provided by the Government of India.
The cabinet also decided to shift 86 villages in Telanganas Khammam district,which will be submerged by the Polavaram dam,to East and West Godavari districts in the Seemandhra region so that no inter-state disputes come in the way of the project.However,the temple town of Bhadrachalam will remain in Telangana.At the Cabinet meeting,NCP chief and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar,who had earlier made a strong pitch for Telangana,questioned whether the law and order powers being given to governor are according to the Constitution.Although he endorsed the Bill,he wanted to know what is being done for the new capital of Seemandhra.He was told that all the cost will be taken care of by the Centre.
The Congress core committee that met after the cabinet is said to have authorized Ahmed Patel and Jairam Ramesh to continue further consultations with BJP leaders.In an embarrassment to chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy,which could also hasten his exit,the cabinet decided to place the same draft bill in Parliament and add the amendments separately.Kiran had earlier announced that he would quit politics if the UPA government tables the Telangana Bill in its existing form.
(Source-toi)
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