Conflicting demands on deadline for T -debate

HYDERABAD: 21/01/2014: A Police officer in a pensive mood as standing next to barricade even as suspense over the continues on T-Bill deadline extension as Telangana and Seemandhra legislators are waiting equally eagerly for the decision of President Pranab Mukherjee’s verdict. It is likely to reach Assembly secretariat by today evening as A.P. Reorganization Bill debates continues in Andhra Pradesh Legislature in Hyderabad on Tuesday. -Photo: Mohammed_Yousuf

The Assembly on Tuesday witnessed conflicting demands over extension or otherwise of the deadline for conclusion of debate on bifurcation Bill which is to expire on Wednesday. While the members from Seemandhra insisted that the deadline be extended to give each one of them an opportunity to express his or her views, their counterparts from Telangana opposed it as the President had already given the House ample time. The matter came up when Finance Minister Anam Ramnarayan Reddy called for winding up of the day’s proceedings at 4.30 p.m. since the House had already conducted business for seven-and-a-half hours.

Objected

This was objected to by Nagam Janardhan Reddy (BJP) who cited instances when the Assembly sat up to 1 a.m.

His argument was countered by Kanna Babu and Vanga Geetha (both Congress) who maintained that the Assembly would have to meet for 118 days to debate the Bill at the present pace. Motkupalli Narasimhulu (TDP) demanded that there be no extension of deadline as the debate was deliberately delayed to prevent the Bill from being tabled in the Parliament when it resumed its winter session on February 6.

Sufficient time

He said the 42 days given to the Assembly for debate was sufficient. On another occasion, TDP member E. Dayakar Rao asked TRS member K.T. Rama Rao to tell on oath whether it was his father and TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao who led a signature campaign when he was in the TDP for the ouster of N.T. Rama Rao.