Andhra Assembly adjourns again over Telangana Bill

Hyderabad – The Andhra Pradesh State Assembly had to be adjourned again on Saturday, following an uproar over the Telangana Bill by pro and anti-Telangana legislators.

Legislators from Telangana, including those of the ruling Congress, enterned the Well of the House as the day’s proceedings began and demanded that the draft AP Reorganisation Bill-2013, should be taken up for discussion immediately.

Legislators from the Seemandhra region also created a pandemonium in the assembly, as they demanded that a resolution should be passed opposing the proposed bifurcation of the state.

However, the Speaker, Nadendla Manohar, rejected the adjournment motions moved by the different parties for and against the bifurcation and adjourned the house.

On December 5, 2013, the union cabinet cleared the parliamentary bill for bifurcating Andhra Pradesh to create a separate Telangana state, with 10 districts.

In July last year, the ruling Congress party approved the creation of a new Telangana state, which had raised fears of violence in the area, home to global firms including Google.

The decision to break up Andhra Pradesh and establish a new state of Telangana comes ahead of upcoming general elections and critics say the Congress is seeking to shore up its political fortunes after dragging its feet over the explosive issue for four decades.

The proposal was received with mixed emotions across the state, with various politicians starkly opposing the bifurcation.

Supporters, however, say Telangana’s economic development has been neglected in favour of the richer and more powerful Andhra region, and that a new state is the only solution.

Hyderabad, India’s sixth largest city was a bone of contention because it fell in the proposed new state carved out of the western part of Andhra Pradesh.