Govt to go ahead with Telangana decision, says Shinde

The government on Thursday said it will go ahead with its decision to create Telangana despite protests in the Seemandhra region, but remained non-committal on imposition of the President's rule in Andhra Pradesh.

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said the Group of Ministers, set up to look into the creation of Telangana, will submit its report as early as possible and justice will be given to Andhra Pradesh.

"The GoM will submit its report as early as possible and that is the reason why no time frame has been given to it...," he said replying to a volley of questions on the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

Asked whether the Central government was planning to mpose President's rule in the southern state, which has been witnessing massive protests in Seemandhra region against the decision to create Telangana, Shinde said, "that I cannot say now".

The home minister ruled out any rethink on the decision to create Telangana following massive protests in Seemandhra region. "I do not think there is any possibility of going back to the decision to create Telangana," he said.

Shinde, however, did not commit whether the Telangana Bill will be table during the winter session of Parliament. "That we will see," he said when asked whether the Bill will be brought in the coming session expected to start November end.

Asked why there was no representative from Andhra Pradesh in the GoM constituted on Tuesday, the home minister said that would not be an issue even if no one in the ministerial panel is from the southern state.

"Justice will be given to Andhra Pradesh," he said.

Shinde also explained the process of creation of a new state, saying after the GoM works out the modalities, a series of steps are expected to follow involving both the central and state governments.

The home ministry will prepare another note with the re-organisation Bill on the basis of the recommendations and suggestions of the GoM requesting the Union cabinet to approve it and to recommend to the President to refer the Bill to the legislature of the state.

After the cabinet meeting, the prime minister would recommend to the President that the draft Bill be referred under Article 3 of the Constitution to the state legislature for their views to be given within 30 days.

The Andhra Pradesh assembly as well as the legislative council will then consider the ill and give their views within 30 days.

The recommendations of the state legislature will be incorporated into the draft re-organisation bill and vetted by the law ministry.

A third note will be prepared with draft re-organisation bill, vetted by the law ministry and sent to the Union cabinet for approval for introduction in Parliament.

A notice will then be given for introduction of the Reorganisation Bill in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. After introduction in both Houses of Parliament, the Bill has to be passed by a simple majority.

After being passed by both the Houses of Parliament, the bill will be sent to President for his assent and the new state Telangana will come into existence.

Asked what will be the fate of Telangana if the state assembly does not adopt a resolution supporting the move to create the separate state, Shinde said the state legislature had kept such a resolution in abeyance in the past too and under Constitution it (Assembly resolution) was not mandatory.

Asked what will be the capital of Seemandhra after bifurcation, Shinde said some have suggested that Kurnool should be the capital and the seat of the high court will be Guntur. "But it is a matter of the stake holders," he said.