M A I N   N E W S

ls session begins today
Telangana shadow looms as PM appeals for passage of Bill
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 4
Telangana is all set to storm the last session of 15th Lok Sabha starting tomorrow even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today hoped that the House “in its wisdom” will pass the Bill.

PM’s hopes did not, however, find a resonance in the Opposition’s stance with the BJP rejecting Congress’ advice on the matter and asking it to put its own house in order. Opposition’s was referring was to Andhra Chief Minister Kiran Reddy who is opposing the bifurcation of the state.

The Congress-led UPA coalition wants to pass several politically significant Bills, including the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill to create the state of Telangana; six anti-corruption Bills, Women’s Reservation Bill and the Communal Violence Prevention Bill.

“Of course, there is this vital issue of Telangana. We will bring the Bill before Parliament and I sincerely hope that after a long debate over many years, the House will in its wisdom pass it. We are ready to discuss any issue in the House,” the PM said after Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar met leaders of political parties to discuss with them the agenda for the session. Though the Prime Minister reminded the Opposition that the “primary concern of any legislature in a parliamentary democracy is passage of legislative business,” the Opposition struck a discordant note after the government asked it to pass the Telangana Bill “without ifs and buts”. Responding to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath’s statement that the government wanted “genuine and not half-hearted support on Telangana from the Opposition”, BJP’s Sushma Swaraj said, “The Congress should not sermonise the Opposition on disruptions in Parliament when their own leaders are supporting as well as opposing Telangana.” The Sushil Kumar Shinde-led Group of Ministers examining the Telengana issue approved the draft State Reorganisation Bill along with the economic package to help Seemandhra develop a new capital.