Cabinet to take up Telangana bill, bandh in Andhra Pradesh

The Union Cabinet is expected to discuss the draft Telangana bill today in light of the report from the Group of Ministers, even as the Telangana Rashtra Samiti has called for a day long shutdown in Andhra Pradesh to protest the inclusion of two districts in the new state. Sources said the GoM is understood to have recommended merger of the two districts of Rayalseema–Kurnool and Anantpur–with proposed Telangana despite strong opposition from Telangana Rashtra Samiti and some Congress leaders. Both Kurnool and Anantpur have proximity to Hyderabad and have a sizeable Muslim population. However, the Union Cabinet is expected to take a final call on the suggestion today. If the proposal is accepted, undivided Andhra Pradesh would be divided equally and the two states would get 21 Lok Sabha seats each, 147 seats each in the assembly and 45 seats in the legislative council. [caption id=“attachment_1267667” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representatational image. PTI[/caption] The Telangana Rashtra Samiti has called for a day-long shutdown in the state to protest against the proposal and has the backing of other parties like the BJP and CPI. “It will be daylong bandh. No buses will ply in the 10 Telangana districts in protest against move on Rayala-Telangana,” Ashwatharama Reddy, president of Telangana Mazdoor Union was quoted as saying in a Times of India report. Groups representing students and doctors will also be participating in the strike and many schools in the state will be shut on account of the shutdown. The Group of Ministers, in its meeting, fine-tuned issues related to distribution of assets, sharing of water, demarcation of boundaries and divisions of officers’ cadre. The GoM is believed to have recommended providing special status to both the states under Article 371-D of the Constitution. The issue of Hyderabad continues to be contentious as Seemandhra leaders are demanding protection of lives and property of Seemandhra people settled in Hyderabad after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. One of the options is handing over law and order responsibility and revenue department to the central government under a special provision of the Constitution. The GoM meeting, chaired by Sushilkumar Shinde, was attended by Union Ministers AK Antony, P Chidambaram and M Veerappa Moily among others. The GoM is said to have recommend that the draft Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill should be named as Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Bill, thus avoiding an amendment in the Constitution but allowing both the states to enjoy special status, official sources said. Article 371-D, which was inserted through 32nd Amendment in 1973, empowers the President to issue orders from time to time providing for equitable opportunities for people belonging to different parts of the state. This provision, which has overriding effect on other Articles of the Constitution, was brought in following an agreement on a six-point formula between leaders of the state on 21 September, 1973. This formula was aimed at a uniform approach for “accelerated development of the backward areas” of Andhra Pradesh and to provide “equitable opportunities” to different areas of the state in the matter of education and employment in public services. Even though Shinde has declared that the draft Telangana bill would be introduced in the winter session of Parliament, uncertainly prevails as the job of giving a timeframe to Andhra Pradesh assembly to consider the Bill rests with the President. with inputs from PTI