Don’t push T-Bill amid din in House: Ramesh

In the wake of attempts by the Government to push the Telangana Bill, Union Minister Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said it should not rush the proposed legislation amid the “cacophony” in Parliament.

“Surely, I would be the first to argue that such a far-reaching Bill should be discussed in Parliament, should be debated and should not be pushed through in a cacophony when protests of a violent nature are taking place,” Ramesh told Karan Thapar on his ‘Devil’s Advocate’ programme on CNN-IBN.

Debate vital Asked whether the Government would pull the Bill if a sensible debate could not be held over it, Ramesh said: “My personal belief is that such an important piece of legislation must be debated and discussed and not pushed through in a din.”

Ramesh, a key member of the Group of Ministers on Telangana, said he had articulated his position on the issue at party fora as well. “We shouldn’t have any unilateral initiative in the House. We have to bring the BJP on board. We should try to create a larger consensus beyond BJP as well. We have four days left. I hope we can get it done,” he said.

Ramesh’s statement comes at a time when the Opposition has rejected the Government’s claim that it had tabled the Telangana Bill in Parliament.