Cong's tough choice: Pass Telangana or Rahul's new laws?

The Andhra Pradesh assembly sending back the legislation for the formation of the new state of Telangana has put the onus on the Centre to ensure the formation of the state ahead of the general elections. However, a truncated session of Parliament and the pressure to pass Rahul Gandhi’s much publicised legislations to combat corruption may just result in the Congress having to choose between the two. The Hindu Business Line reported that the Congress has called for a meeting with its own MPs from the Andhra Pradesh to ensure that they don’t disrupt this session of Parliament like they have in previous sessions. According to the report, all the MPs from the state, barring those who had moved a no-confidence motion against the government will discuss the Telangana Bill that will carry some amendments favouring the Seemandhra region. [caption id=“attachment_1373483” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Reuters[/caption] Several parties have, however, asked the government to first get the Vote on Account passed before taking up any other legislation fearing further disruptions by MPs from the state. The BJP has questioned whether the Congress will be able to get its MPs in line and is among parties that have said they are willing to pass other legislation including the anti-corruption legislation that Gandhi has touted as the best tools to battle corruption. “How can the government ensure that this last session is not a washout like the previous one?” BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman was quoted as saying in an Economic Times report . All parties from the state, both in favour and against the creation of the new state, have been hectically lobbying in the national capital over the bill which is scheduled to come up for debate in Parliament. If the Congress is unable to quell the rebellion among its Seemandhra MPs, the party is staring at the possibility of losing another session of Parliament to disruptions. It could also resort to suspending its own MPs but would be a loss of face for the party which claims to have taken the decision to form Telangana after considerable consultations. A failure to form the new state may result in the party facing the possibility of losing both the Seemandhra and Telangana regions to other political parties in the state. The Telagana Rashtra Samiti has held back on its decision to merge with the Congress and the latter faces the very real possibility of being decimated in the very region it hopes to confer statehood on. Even if it does form the new state, the Congress may be left watching as the YSR Congress reaps the benefits of the sentiment against it in the Seemandhra region. It won’t help if the party also loses chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy as he continues to agitate against the creation of the new state. This leaves the Congress no way to go but forward on the creation of the new state in the hope of holding on to the electorate of at least one part of the state . Rahul Gandhi might just have to wait for another session of Parliament, unfortunately one possibly not under the Congress, to hope for his six pet legislations to be passed.