Cabinet Clears Telangana Bill

Hyd joint capital, not UT; Bill in RS first on 12th

• None of the 9000 odd amendments was considered
• Rs 5 lakh crore package for new capital
• Special financial package for providing essential facilities
• Polavaram national project, to be completed in three years
• Pallam Raju, KS Rao were most vocal in opposing the Bill
• After cabinet nod Cong Core Committee met to discuss the roadmap for the Bill

The BJP, sources stated, is divided on the issue, with a section favouring it on the ground that they do not want to carry the T-burden to the next Lok Sabha, while the other section is against it, as it would displease the TDP, with whom the BJP is trying to have an alliance.

The Union Cabinet on Friday finally cleared the Telangana Bill, with Hyderabad being the common capital for 10 years. The demand of giving Union Territory status to Hyderabad, as demanded by the Seemandhra MPs, was rejected at the level of the GoM, itself. The Bill will now go to the President before coming to Parliament.

It was decided at the Core Group meeting that the Bill will first be introduced in the Rajya Sabha on February 12 before sending it to the Lok Sabha. It is a ploy by the government to ensure that the Telangana Bill does not lapse after the dissolution of the Lok Sabha. In the 294-page Cabinet Note, 32 amendments were proposed, with the government open to more changes that may be suggested during the course of the debate in Parliament. None of the 9000-odd amendments mooted by the Andhra Pradesh Assembly were considered by the Union Cabinet.

The Cabinet Note has proposed that “an amount of Rs 5 lakh crore shall be allocated for the development of capital city to be selected by an expert committee for the residue state of Andhra Pradesh after Telangana is separated and an amount of Rs 1 lakh crore shall be allocated in the budget every year starting from the year in which this Bill is approved duly providing constitutional validity to this.”

Besides, the clause 309, section 16 (I) declared Polavaram Irrigation Project as a “national project.” It stated that the project will be completed within a period of three years from the date of enactment of the Act.

Allaying the fears of the Seemandhra leaders, the Cabinet Note has proposed giving “special financial support for the creation of essential facilities in the new capital of the successor state of Andhra Pradesh including the Raj Bhawan, High court, Government Secretariat, Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council and such other essential infrastructure”.

The Congress is confident of its passage, hoping that the BJP will not play a double-game by refusing not to support the Bill on some pretext or the other. “You have to either vote in favour of the Bill or defeat it, but you cannot ignore it,” stated Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath. The BJP, sources stated, is divided on the issue, with a section favouring it on the ground that they do not want to carry the T-burden to the next Lok Sabha, while the other section is against it, as it would displease the TDP, with whom the BJP is trying to have an alliance. Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, Jairam Ramesh and Kamal Nath have been in touch with the BJP leaders to convince them to vote for the Bill, but they have not received any positive assurance from them.

In the Cabinet, the Union Ministers belonging to the Seemandhra, K S Rao and M M Pallam Raju, were the most vocal, with the former speaking for about 20 minutes, opposing the Bill and raising his apprehensions on the safety and security of the people belonging to Seemandhra in Hyderabad.

Besides raising the demand of giving the UT-status to Hyderabad, K S Rao talked about upgradation of the existing airports in Vijayawada, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam and the infrastructure development that needed immediate attention. Pallam Raju was also disturbed and raised the issue of water and revenue-sharing between both the regions.

The concerns raised by both the Union Ministers were addressed by Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, who is the key person in drafting the Bill and talking to all concerned on the contentious Bill. He informed them that the major demands of funding the Capital of the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh and the financial package have already been considered.

Science & Technology Minister S Jaipal Reddy was silent in the Cabinet, lest he provokes his colleagues, who were already agitated for not getting the UT-status for Hyderabad, the demand which was rejected at the GoM level itself.

The Group of Ministers (GoM) met twice after the meeting between the senior leaders and the Seemandhra Ministers in the Congress War Room.

Except for the demand of giving UT to Hyderabad, most of their concerns were addressed. After the Cabinet, the Congress Core Group met at 7, RCR to discuss the roadmap of the Telangana Bill and to ensure its passage in the current session.