On the day that the bill for formation of the
separate Telangana state is set to come up for debate in Parliament, both
Houses were adjourned till 12pm as soon as they convened.
Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the
House amid ruckus and Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar too followed suit.
News channels reported that after last week's
unprecedented scenes in Lok Sabha when expelled Seemandhra Congress MP L
Rajagopal used pepper spray on the floor of the House, marshals, ambulances and fire brigade vehicles
have been kept on a standby.
Vehicles approaching the Parliament building are
being checked and barricades have been put all around the complex.
Sixteen MPs from across parties were suspended after
last Thursday's vandalism when lawmakers held the session to ransom.
Earlier, home minister Sushilkumar Shinde as well as
Union minister Jairam Ramesh met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to inform him
about the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) stand.
The BJP has reiterated its unconditional support to
the bill but asked the government to address its concerns including adequate
compensation to Seemandhra and unbridled powers of the governor of the proposed
states.
HT sources have said that Andhra Pradesh chief
minister Kiran Kumar Reddy is set to resign from the post soon after Lok Sabha
takes up the Telangana bill for discussion. Andhra Congress sources said that
Reddy has informed his confidants of the move.
"I will not preside over the bifurcation of
AP," he is learnt to have told his supporters.
Reddy's move comes in the backdrop of the government
on Monday assuring the BJP of addressing its concerns on the bifurcation of
Andhra Pradesh before taking up the highly contentious Telangana bill for
discussion in Lok Sabha.
The government parleys came after Congress leaders
from Seemandhra, including some ministers, met BJP veteran LK Advani demanding
his party’s support to seek adequate financial compensation for rest of Andhra
Pradesh post bifurcation.
"We are in favour of Telangana but cannot
disregard problems that will arise for Seemandhra," Advani said.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who is keen to see
the passage of the bill in both Houses of Parliament in next two days, is likely
to speak on the bill.
She also had chance interaction with BJP leader M
Venkaiah Naidu in Parliament during which she asked him if the BJP had changed
its stand on Telangana.
She also deputed Union home minister Sushilkumar
Shinde and rural development minister Jairam Ramesh to discuss and address
issues raised by the BJP.
The two ministers held closed door meetings with BJP
leaders LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and M Venkaiah Naidu.
Jaitley pointed out that provisions relating to
powers of governor in matters relating to protection of residents of Hyderabad
— common capital for both states — as mentioned in the Telangana bill, can’t
stand judicial scrutiny.
BJP leaders felt the bill that says the decision of
the governor would be final in such matters, violates Article 163 of the
Constitution. Governors are supposed to act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers.
