Telangana Bill: Is this the last ball?

Since the CWC decision to carve out Telangana state with AP ROB -2013, the people of Andhra Pradesh are witnessing many political whirlpools which are making them breathless with anticipation. However, the Draft bill was tabled in the Assembly and the discussion started after much hue and cry of the political parties in the state. It is very saddening to observe that each and every party is trying to grab the attention of their regions' voters with their respective stands about both regions including Congress which is trying to tear apart Andhra Pradesh.

The Union Government which has initiated the process and firm on the creation of Telangana is facing some sort of trouble with defiance from Kiran Kumar Reddy after his emotional oration who has given a notice to Speaker under 77 rule to reject the T-draft bill by calling it full of errors and unconstitutional. This decision has once again thrown the ball in the Speaker's court. The people of Seemandhra are in a state of mess..is this is his last ball, which hasn’t changed the game ultimately?

The UPA-II was well aware of the AP assembly outcome on the bifurcation that is why it opted to go ahead with Article-3 on which the Assembly opinion has no dent. The Congress party has taken a clever decision after the consent of other political parties which are representing the AP Assembly. Though it seems as hasty to some extent, but it has taken precautions by approving the Cabinet note, constituting GOM and preparing the draft bill after the compilation of appeals from political and apolitical forums. So, it is improper to term the draft bill as unconstitutional which was thoroughly scrutinized by the union law ministry and sent to the state assembly with the consent of Indian President .Further, there is every chance to rectify the said errors with meaningful discussions. So, it is the responsibility of the members of the House to make appropriate corrections to the said bill.

The stand taken by Chief Minister Kiran Reddy may help to bank the sympathy in Seemaandhra, that could also help him if he indeed floats a new political outfit. But the people of Seemaandhra are in a state of confusion over the proceedings in the Assembly. They are wondering when the stand-off will end. It is bamboozling to judge the Congress high command's sealed cover CM nominee moves on Telangana and the party’s mouth pieces' reaction towards him claiming that is a well known stand. It is well known fact that Kiran Reddy himself spilled sweat for the start of discussion on T-Draft bill and made an appeal to the president for extending the time for more discussion. Though he might not have succeeded in get the extension he wished, his U-turn giving the notice under 77 rule to reject the Bill once again has caused the disarray in the house which will not allow the discussion on T-draft bill. It seems that it is not possible to maintain order in the house because the leaders of both regions are best at their theatrical abilities to prove they are staunch supporters of both united, bifurcation concepts.

Further, by January 30 the extension will expire and the Bill will reach the parliament for the next phase of constitutional process. It is noticeable though the discussion meant for exposing the mistakes of the draft bill has not served the purpose exactly and fuelled the exchanges and interruptions in the House. There are rumours that the Kiran Reddy will also follow in the footsteps of Kejriwal, who hit the roads of Delhi to grab the attention of national parties and to defend his stand on united state. It seems he is annoyed with the inflexible attitude of the Centre. However, he's still under the assumption that ‘till the last ball is bowled, the game is not over.’

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of our organisation.