T-State will be formed before polls: Digvijay

AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh has said that a separate State of Telangana would be formed before the general elections.

“If necessary, the Central Government will convene a special session to pass the AP Reorganisation Bill 2013 in Parliament,” he told reporters in New Delhi.

He said the President would decide whether or not additional time should be given to debate the bifurcation Bill that is presently being debated in the AP Legislature. Mr. Singh noted that only through discussion, the aspirations of the people of the State can be reflected. It is an opportunity for respective regions’ MLAs to air their concerns.

Asked about merger of TRS in Congress, he would speak about the issue only after the bifurcation process is completed. He said it was for the high command to take a call on constituting a separate screening committee to select candidates in Telangana region.

In a related development, vice-chairman of National Disaster Management Authority Marri Sashidhar Reddy said Andhra Pradesh would be bifurcated by February end. He said a special session could be convened to pass the bifurcation Bill.

Mr. Reddy pointed out that Centre was mulling increasing the number of seats in the new States. “By increasing the seats, we can ensure political stability. Once the Telangana State is formed, there number of seats should be increased from 119 to 153. I will take up the issue with Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and AICC president Sonia Gandhi. When Uttarakhand and Haryana were formed, the number of Assembly seats went up,” he said.