The winter session of the Legislature will resume on Friday to debate the AP Reorganisation Bill 2013 amid a big question mark whether the growing bitterness between Telangana and Seemandhra leaders will give scope for proceedings to take place.
The proceedings of the Assembly and the Council will be held in two phases -- from January 3 to 10 and from January 16 to 23. Seemandhra MLAs are gearing up to stall the proceedings as they believe that giving scope for the debate is half the battle lost. The YSR Congress has already declared that it would not allow the proceedings till the Bill was withdrawn.
The Assembly is likely to witness heat over Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy stripping Minister D. Sridhar Babu of his Legislature Affairs portfolio. Telangana Congress leaders plan to corner him for his alleged ‘autocratic’ style of functioning.
Leaders are convinced that the House may not run at all as the Congress, TDP and YSR Congress have given a bandh call in Seemandhra along with APNGOs to protest against the debate on draft Bill. Simultaneously, Telangana MLAs and MLCs are scheduled to attend an all-party meeting to chalk out their future course of action.
In the wake of swift developments after Mr. Sridhar Babu was stripped of Legislative Affairs portfolio, there is discussion in the political parties that the Chief Minister was planning to introduce a resolution in support of united AP.
By entrusting S. Sailajanath with Legislative Affairs, the Chief Minister wants to use him to get the resolution introduced in the House, a senior leader said.
Former PCC chief D. Srinivas went on record saying he has information that Mr. Reddy may try to get a resolution in favour of united AP moved in the Assembly during the debate.
However, when this poser was put to the Chief Minister, he replied “please wait till tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Speaker Nadendla Manohar, who recently visited Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to study the proceedings during the debate on bifurcation Bill, is unlikely to submit a report to the BAC members. He is expected to hold consultations with the Legislative Council chairman A. Chakrapani before finalising the report.
