After an adjournment and walkout by the YSR Congress Party, the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Friday settled on to an exciting debate on the AP Re-Organisation Bill (Telangana Bill), with members expressing their views for and against bifurcation.
The trouble started when the House met today after a brief Shankranthi vacation to take up a discussion on T-Bill.
With the Legislative Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar rejecting adjournment motions moved by the YSR CP and the Telugu Desam Party, the House was in pandemonium with members rushing to podium and shouting slogans and pressing for their demands.
With repeated requests by the Speaker to restore order and urging members to take up the debate going in vain, he was forced to adjourn the House for half an hour.
When the House assembled again at about 10.30 am, the issue of voting was raised again by the YSR CP.
Y.S. Vijayamma, speaking on behalf of the YSR CP expressed her party’s stand against bifurcation and wanted clarity on whether voting would be taken up in the House.
She mentioned how steadfast her party was in support of a unified State of Andhra Pradesh.
She said that clarity on how the opinion of the members would be taken up and whether there would be voting would make the discussion meaningful.
Expressing her party’s concerns and the way the whole process is being taken up, members of the YSR CP staged a walkout.
State Finance Minister Anam Ramnarayan Reddy and P. Keshav of TDP quoted some of the statements made by former chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in support of Telangana and highlighted how the YSR CP is now seeking to champion the cause of united State.
S. Shailajanath, State Legislative Affairs Minister, initiating the debate on behalf of the Congress, said that he was committed to the cause of the Unified State of Andhra Pradesh just like his leader and expressed that there was no need to carve out a separate State.
The moment he made this statement, members from the opposition parties, the TDP, the TRS and the CPI(M), said that if Shailajanath as Minister feels that there is no need or division, he should first quit as a State Cabinet Minister before making a statement championing the cause of a unified State.
Intervening in the debate, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy said that during the course of the debate, they would highlight why they have different views on the State division.
The Legislative Affairs Minister also highlighted the various provisions of the Constitution (Article 3, 371 (D) and 189) with regard to the Bill.
TDP members highlighted the applicability of Article 189 on the need for voting to express the views of the House.
The House was adjourned for the day.