3.27 pm:
Lok Sabha voting on amendments in Telangana bill The Lok Sabha is currently
voting on as many
However while supporting Telangana,
she also demanded the further division of Uttar Pradesh into four more states
to facilitate better administration and development of the region. "We
support the creation of Telangana and our party will support the Telangana bill
that the government is bringing," she told reporters outside Parliament.
Justifying the creation of a separate Telangana state, she said, "Andhra
Pradesh is a big state and the Telangana region is mostly inhabited by weaker
section of the people and SC and ST people. The region is always neglected. So,
there was always a demand for a separate state". Mayawati added her party
always favoured the creation of smaller states. 1.36 pm: Modi slams Sonia,
Rahul for Telangana mess Telangana may be stalled in Parliament for now, but
BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is talking about it, thousands of
kilometres away, in Davangere, Karnataka. "People of Seemandhra need
support from us but Congress party doesn't have time for them. People of Andhra
put Congress to power but now when they're facing difficulties they can't say a
word for them", Modi said, addressing the rally. His comments come, even
as TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu today appealed to Modi to "use his good
office" to keep Andhra Pradesh united till an amicable solution is reached
on the issue of creation of separate Telangana. "I met Modi. I requested
him. They (Congress) are doing all these things. These are all the
violations... So you use your good office...You tell our party (to stop
it)...," he told reporters. 12.54 pm: Lok Sabha adjourned till 3 pm Sushil
Kumar Shinde tried speaking in vain as the Lok Sabha remained chaotic. Sensing
there's little she can do, Meira Kumar adjourned the house again, till 3 pm.
12.10 pm: Shinde asks LS to pass bill without discussion Parliament convened at
noon, but Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde only managed to move the bill for
debate, before the house was adjourned again till 12.45pm. Shinde stood up to
introduce Telangana, but the sloganeering just got louder. 'Let's bring order
to the house", said speaker Meira Kumar even as the shouting MPs seem to
have found a new lease of life. "I already moved the bill... it is to be
taken into consideration and passing", he said. This means that he was
asking the chairs of the house to pass the bill even without discussion. What
is interesting however, seems to be the fact that it is not the Seemandhra MPs
who are blocking any discussions from taking place. According to CNN-IBN, the
ruckus has been mostly caused by the AIADMK which wants a resolution against
Sri Lanka at the UNHRC meet, and the JD(U) who are demanding a special package
for Bihar. If the bill is to be passed, the UPA will have to talk to these
parties first and see if they can come up with a viable floor strategy. 12.05
pm: Lok Sabha begins amid uproar Lok Sabha has resumed amid similar scenes of
turbulence in Parliament, but the speaker seems to be determined to keep
procedings going this time. MPs are currently laying papers on the table, amid
sloganeering and shouting. In the Rajya Sabha, placards are being shown in the
well of the house. With just four days to go in this session of Parliament, the
last before Lok Sabha elections, if the bill is not passed, it will have to be
reintroduced all over again by the next government. 11.35 am: Suspended
Seemandhra MPs block gate to Parliament They may not be able to actually attend
proceedings in the Lok Sabha, but that doesn't mean that the suspended
Seemandhra MPs are not trying to block the passage of the Telangana bill in
Parliament. CNN-IBN reported that the MPs have parked their cars outside the
entrance to Parliament, forcing MPs to walk. Security has been tightened around
Parliament, with the bill expected to be taken up today. On Thursday,
proceedings were disrupted after Seemandhra MP L Rajagopal used pepper spray
inside the Lok Sabha. Prior to that Parliament was essentially on suicide
watch, 11.28 am: Lok Sabha adjourned amid Telangana uproar Question hour was a
washout yet again, with anti-Telangana MPs disrupting the house, forcing
speaker Meira Kumar to adjourn proceedings until noon. This is also when the
Telangana bill is expected to be taken up. 10.48 pm: Will try our best to pass
Telangana, says Congress MoS Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla has confirmed
that the Telangana bill will be brought before Parliament today and said that
the party would do its best to pass it. The Congress will however, have an
uphill task to do that. The party has already issued a whip to all its members
asking them to be present in Parliament for the whole of this week and PCC
chief Botsa Satyanarayana has reportedly been given the task of ensuring that
all Congress MPs stay together even as Congress Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister
Kiran Kumar Reddy contemplates a decision to resign. Congress Vice President
Rahul Gandhi on Monday assured central ministers and party MPs from Seemandhra
that justice would be done to their region while carving out a separate
Telangana state. The party has also approached the BJP for help in passing the
bill. Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Rural Development Minister Jairam
Ramesh had asked the BJP for help. 9.20 am: Congress scrambles to keep Andhra
MPs together PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana has reportedly been given the task
of ensuring that all Congress MPs stay together even as Congress Andhra Pradesh
Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy contemplates a decision to resign. CNN-IBN
quoting sources, said that Reddy is apprehensive of the support he is likely to
get if he launches his own political party, as his number of supporters seems
to be dwindling. This comes on the back of reports that Reddy will resign
today. "The whole country says the (Telangana) bill for division is
undemocratic. Still, they say that we will go ahead and make the bill win by
hook or crook, pass even by voice vote. In this situation, there is a need for
a new party. Kiran Kumar Reddy would definitely form a new party and try to
keep the state united," state Law Minister Erasu Pratap Reddy had said.
"We actually decided that we should quit on (February) 16th. But, main
opposition BJP says that the bill has not been tabled. Chief Minister is not
quitting today to strengthen that. When it is officially announced that the
bill has been tabled in parliament, then he will quit and all of us would
quit," he said. 9.00 am: BJP to meet and finalise strategy BJP MPs will
meet to discuss their final strategy with regards to the Telangana bill in
Parliament. The party has been maintaining that the bill was never tabled in
the house on Thursday. Meanwhile the government had reached out to the BJP to
seek its support in passage of the contentious Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation
Bill with Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde wanting the opposition party to
spell out its concerns on the issue. Sources said during the meeting in
Parliament House where Shinde was accompanied by Rural Development Minister
Jairam Ramesh, BJP asked the government to put its own house in order and
address the concerns of the Seemandhra region while cautioning it not to pass
the bill amid din and without a discussion. Among the BJP leaders whom Shinde
and Ramesh met were LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley besides M
Venkaiah Naidu. The meeting lasted around 40 minutes. The ministers told the
BJP leaders that some issues have already been dealt with in the bill and that
they will get back on the amendments the government proposed to bring. 8.00 am:
Reddy to quit as Congress prepares to pass bill in LS T-day could finally be
upon us, with the Congress planning to pass the Telangana bill in the Lok Sabha
today, after having tabled it amid an unprecedented pepper spray attack on
Thursday. The attack, which was carried out by expelled Congress leader L
Rajagopal, saw the suspension of 17 Seemandhra MPs in total. The MPs who had
been protesting in the well of the house for the last two Parliament sessions,
had vowed not to allow the bill to be tabled. Despite the suspensions however,
there are still likely to be protests in the well of the house, and plenty of
disruptions.
And to add to the complications, although the Congress says that Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde tabled the bill, opposition parties including the BJP and TMC insist it was never tabled. It has been accepted by Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, but is however, likely to be another issue of contention when Parliament resumes later this morning. The Congress party's woes however, don't just end there. Over two dozen MPs from Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) will stage a dharna in parliament demanding grant of special status to the state, JD-U state president Vashisht Narain Singh Monday said. "JD-U MPs will put pressure on the central government by staging dharna in the premises of the parliament," Singh said. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has once again linked the grant of special status to development in the hope of JD-U sweeping the state's 40 seats in the next Lok Sabha polls. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is reportedly contemplating resigning from his post against the state's division and launching a new political party. According to CNN-IBN, Reddy is all set to resign in the next 24 hours and may announce the formation of a new party. "The whole country says the (Telangana) bill for division is undemocratic. Still, they say that we will go ahead and make the bill win by hook or crook, pass even by voice vote. In this situation, there is a need for a new party. Kiran Kumar Reddy would definitely form a new party and try to keep the state united," state Law Minister Erasu Pratap Reddy had said. "We actually decided that we should quit on (February) 16th. But, main opposition BJP says that the bill has not been tabled. Chief Minister is not quitting today to strengthen that. When it is officially announced that the bill has been tabled in parliament, then he will quit and all of us would quit," he said. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday assured central ministers and party MPs from Seemandhra that justice would be done to their region while carving out a separate Telangana state. Union Minister of State for Finance JD Seelam told reporters after a meeting with Gandhi that they submitted their demands which include making Hyderabad a union territory for a specific period, sharing of revenue of Hyderabad between Telangana and Seemandhra and special packages for north coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, and hoped these would be considered. Earlier Monday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath told reporters, "The Telangana bill will come up for discussion in the Lok Sabha on 18 Februrary," adding those who want to oppose it can do so "in a parliamentary manner". The minister said Congress president Sonia Gandhi is likely to speak on the issue as well. The Congress has issued a three-line whip to its members to be present in the house on all days of the week to ensure the passage of the Telangana bill.
And to add to the complications, although the Congress says that Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde tabled the bill, opposition parties including the BJP and TMC insist it was never tabled. It has been accepted by Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, but is however, likely to be another issue of contention when Parliament resumes later this morning. The Congress party's woes however, don't just end there. Over two dozen MPs from Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) will stage a dharna in parliament demanding grant of special status to the state, JD-U state president Vashisht Narain Singh Monday said. "JD-U MPs will put pressure on the central government by staging dharna in the premises of the parliament," Singh said. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has once again linked the grant of special status to development in the hope of JD-U sweeping the state's 40 seats in the next Lok Sabha polls. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is reportedly contemplating resigning from his post against the state's division and launching a new political party. According to CNN-IBN, Reddy is all set to resign in the next 24 hours and may announce the formation of a new party. "The whole country says the (Telangana) bill for division is undemocratic. Still, they say that we will go ahead and make the bill win by hook or crook, pass even by voice vote. In this situation, there is a need for a new party. Kiran Kumar Reddy would definitely form a new party and try to keep the state united," state Law Minister Erasu Pratap Reddy had said. "We actually decided that we should quit on (February) 16th. But, main opposition BJP says that the bill has not been tabled. Chief Minister is not quitting today to strengthen that. When it is officially announced that the bill has been tabled in parliament, then he will quit and all of us would quit," he said. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday assured central ministers and party MPs from Seemandhra that justice would be done to their region while carving out a separate Telangana state. Union Minister of State for Finance JD Seelam told reporters after a meeting with Gandhi that they submitted their demands which include making Hyderabad a union territory for a specific period, sharing of revenue of Hyderabad between Telangana and Seemandhra and special packages for north coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, and hoped these would be considered. Earlier Monday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath told reporters, "The Telangana bill will come up for discussion in the Lok Sabha on 18 Februrary," adding those who want to oppose it can do so "in a parliamentary manner". The minister said Congress president Sonia Gandhi is likely to speak on the issue as well. The Congress has issued a three-line whip to its members to be present in the house on all days of the week to ensure the passage of the Telangana bill.
Finally after all the years of waiting!
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