Here is summary of leaders who expressed their views on Telangana Bill in Rajya Sabha yesterday.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh: amidst protest Manmohan Singh started his speech on the Telangana Bill. He assured that Seemandhra region will be given Special Status for five years and Hyderabad will remain as joint capital for 10 years. Manmohan proposed a six point formula for the development of Seemandhra region.
BJP Leader Venkaiah Naidu: We are in favor in creation of Telangana but at the same time all the demands of Seemandhra region should be solved to remove their concerns. Seemandhra will fall in financial problems by losing Hyderabad as it was the capital, so the central government should allocate special package for Seemandhra region. Also a special railway zone for Seemandhra region, Uttarandhra and Rayalaseema should be identified as backward zones. Congress party could not control their own leaders and their CM has resigned to the party against bifurcation and still there is no action against its members. This shows Congress double stand on Telangana. Our party forced the government for amendments but they are in no mood to take up those.
Chiranjeevi: Being a Congressmen it is unfortunate that my party is going ahead with bifurcation. Though I’m against the division of Andhra Pradesh, I will abide by Congress party decision. If bifurcation is unavoidable then I demand for Union Territory status to Hyderabad. All the development happened around Hyderabad as it has been the capital of Andhra Pradesh for the past 60 years. Chandrababu Naidu’s party could not take any decision on Telangana and their party members are divided over the issue.
BSP Chief Mayawati: I support the creation of Telangana as it is a long standing wish of the people of the region. As father of Constitution Ambedkar said, better governance with smaller states, BSP supports the creation of Telangana. Special package was announced only to Seemandhra but I demand a special package for Telangana region too as many leaders in house agreed that Telangana is backward region too. At the same time, the Uttar Pradesh Assembly moved a resolution to divide the state when BSP was in government but sadly the Center government did not bother about the division of Uttar Pradesh. When divisions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh happened the newly formed states were announced the new capitals right away so BSP demands the central government should make official the new capital of Seemandhra right away.
Sitaram Yechuri: our party is completely against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. At this moment I remember the great lines of Gurajada Apparao “Deshamante Matti Kadoyi, Deshamante Manushulu”. As we are against the division of Andhra Pradesh we don’t want to recommend any amendments in the Bill.
Parties, Trinamul Congress, Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party, DMK, CPM and BJD members opposed the Bill. Seemandhra TDP and Congress MPs protested near the Speaker’s podium throughout the debate on Telangana Bill, MP KVP Ramchander Rao collapsed in house because of back ache. Speaker directed the Parliament Affairs minister Kamal Nath to take KVP to hospital. But KVP refused to take medication and continued his agitation sitting down on the floor. TDP MP CM Ramesh rejected the bill.
Parties NCP, CPI, RJD, LJP along with Congress MPs MA Khan, V Hanumantha Rao, TDP MPs Devender Goud, Gundu Sudha Rani and Sujana Choudary supported the bifurcation of Telangana. TDP Sujana demanded that the bill should take the opinion of Attorney General as it has the legal issues.
The amendments proposed by BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu were turned down in a dramatic way. All the government amendments were accepted with ease and in the last CPM party demanded for a voting in the Bill. But speaker rejected the proposal as MPs were protesting at his podium. So CPM walked out in protest. With Voice Vote, Telangana Bill got passed in Rajya Sabha effortlessly.
(AW: Vamshi)
