As the Group of Ministers (GoM) on bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh gears to meet State parties on issues related to the creation of Telangana from Tuesday, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Monday said the entire process would be completed before the general election. He, however, was non-committal on the issue of the bill in this regard being tabled in the winter session of Parliament that begins early next month.
“I can tell you that the process (for creation of Telangana) will be completed during our present tenure in the government,” Mr. Shinde told journalists here.
He noted that the GoM has already met secretaries of the key Central Ministries such as power, finance, water resources, rural development and human resource development and discussed crucial issues related to division of assets between Andhra Pradesh and the proposed State of Telangana.
Notably, till now the Centre’s stand has been that the bill on Telangana would be tabled in Parliament in the winter session so that the State Assembly could sent it back and the process for creation of Telangana is completed before or during the budget session. But Mr. Shinde, who is heading the seven-member GoM, has now refused to commit on bringing the bill in the winter session.
On the issue of the Congress mulling removing Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy for opposition division of Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Shinde said he would not comment on it as he was yet to meet Mr. Reddy and listen to his views on the issue.
Mr. Shinde said a proposal regarding the Union government taking over the law and order machinery under its control post-bifurcation was under consideration and no final decision has been taken so far. Hyderabad has been proposed as the joint capital of the two States for 10 years.
