A big question mark hangs over the issue whether President Pranab Mukherjee would grant the State Government’s request for additional time to the legislature to debate the AP Reorganisation Bill 2013.
No word from DelhiTill late on Tuesday night, there was no word from Delhi on extension of time sought by Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy. Authoritative sources said that top Central leaders were pre-occupied with strategising on how to get the Aam Admi Party call off its protest causing delay on the part of the Home Ministry to forward the letter to the Prime Minister’s Office.
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It is understood that the letter seeking four weeks’ time was still pending in the Prime Minister’s Office. “There is no word yet from the PMO whether the letter has been sent to President,” highly placed sources told The Hindu.
The legislature is expected to complete the debate on the draft Bill on January 23 and return it to the Centre in three more days. If the President declines to give additional time, Mr. Kiran Reddy will speak on the Bill in the Assembly on Wednesday itself and the amendments put to voting on January 23.
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Home Ministry officials reportedly discussed among themselves the manner in which the opinion of the legislature and the members are to be submitted -- member-wise, clause-wise or day-wise. There was discussion as to who should take up translation work as some members spoke in Telugu and Urdu.
In a related development, Congress leaders from Telangana sent two-page report to the President appealing to him not to give additional time for debating the Bill. A Minister said Telangana legislators had faxed a brief letter on Monday and followed it up with a more detailed report citing reasons why additional time should not be given for the debate.