Debate on Telangana Bill has already begun: Dy Speaker

Hyderabad, Dec 20 : Deputy Speaker Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Friday claimed that the debate on Andhra Pradesh State Reorganisation Bill, 2013, has already begun in the State Legislative Assembly.

Disclosing details during a press conference in the Assembly’s Committee Hall here, the Deputy Speaker said that at about 2.57 PM on December 16, Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu began discussions while thanking President of India Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and other Central leaders for sending the Telangana Bill to the Assembly. He then appealed to the members to participate in the discussion. He said that he himself was on the Chair and he directed Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu to continue the discussion. However, the debate could not continue due to the uproar created by some legislators.

Vikramarka dismissed Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s claim that he made on Thursday that the debate on Telangana Bill was yet to begin. He informed that the Assembly session, scheduled to resume from January 3, would last for 13 days, and five hours each day have been allocated for debate on Telangana Bill. Therefore, he said that the Telangana Bill would be debated for 65 hours or more. He appealed to all members to participate in the debate.

The Deputy Speaker also condemned the YSRCP members for bringing cauliflowers into the House and described it as an insult for the August House. He said that the floor leaders have assured during the Business Advisory Committee meetings held on December 11th and 17th of their cooperation for the debate. However, they went back on their promise. INN