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Conflict over Telangana formation rocks parliament

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IANS New Delhi
Last Updated : Feb 06 2014 | 8:41 PM IST

The conflict over the formation of a separate Telangana state Thursday disrupted parliament for the second consecutive day.

The group of ministers formed for the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, meanwhile, held a discussion on various issues. A special cabinet meeting will be held Friday on the bill for formation of Telangana.

In parliament, the issue reverberated in both houses, forcing their adjournment without transacting any major business.

Lok Sabha saw two adjournments as members from Andhra Pradesh raised slogans, the first time shortly after it met at 11 a.m., and the second and final time after noon.

Three no-confidence motions were also admitted in the lower house by YSR Congress member M. Rajamohan Reddy, Congress member Sabbam Hari, and TDP member Modugula Venu Gopala Reddy, all three opposed to bifurcation of the state.

Speaker Meira Kumar, however, said she could not admit the motion in the din.

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Rajya Sabha saw three adjournments, one after a TDP member came near the chairman's podium raising slogans to "save Andhra Pradesh".

After losing its question hour when it was adjourned till noon, the upper house was adjourned till 2 p.m., and then for the day.

No business could be transacted in either of the houses except for the routine tabling of papers.

The group of ministers (GoM) on Telangana discussed demands of ministers from Seemandhra. The demands include making Hyderabad a Union Territory for a limited period and incorporating the Bhadrachalam sub-division with the residuary Andhra Pradesh.

"Before this session of parliament is over, we will bring the Telangana bill to the house," Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters after an hour-long meeting of the ministerial panel, which he heads.

The home minister, however, evaded a reply on whether the bill would be passed in this session.

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is a member of the GoM, told reporters the bill would be taken up by the cabinet Friday.

"This is the last meeting of the GoM on Telangana. A special cabinet meeting will be called Friday over Telangana," Azad said.

Meanwhile, leaders both in favour of and against Telangana met various leaders to create pressure on the issue.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao met Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh to seek support over the bill.

Emerging out of the meeting, Chandrasekhar Rao told media that Rajnath Singh assured him of support to the statehood bill.

YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is opposed to the bifurcation, meanwhile, met Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Prakash Karat and asked him to cooperate with his party in opposing the bill.

CPI-M is against bifurcation of states randomly and has sought the setting up of a second state reorganisation committee for this.

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First Published: Feb 06 2014 | 8:34 PM IST

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