Special session, voting must for Telangana Bill: YSR Congress

The party was demanding that the speaker give enough time to the members to discuss the Bill

The YSR Congress has demanded that the government put the draft Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Bill to vote in the state assembly, even as the House is likely to take it up for views of the members today.

"President Pranab Mukherjee writing a note on the draft Bill, to take the views of the members and opinion of the assembly is a clear pointer to the state government to thoroughly discuss the issue and go in for voting on the Bill which will give a clear picture for the Parliament to take up for further discussion," said party senior leader Dr MV Mysoora Reddy.

He said his party was demanding that the speaker follow the best practices of parliamentary democracy and give enough time to the members to discuss the Bill.

"Our party demands that the Speaker should follow the best practices of parliamentary democracy and give enough time to the members for discussing the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill - 2013 (draft) and this could be done only when a special session is convened with the single point agenda," he said.

"The President's note which has asked to take mood of the House means that there needs to be voting and the result should be sent back to Delhi," he added.

He further said: "We have given notice to the Speaker under rule 77 for moving a resolution on a united State after discussion and other Parties too have given similar notice which the Speaker has admitted."

"We demand that the Speaker should allow discussion giving enough time to every member who wants to express his or her view on the subject and finally go for voting to get a comprehensive summary of the proceedings. Since this is historic Bill and the matter has to be further discussed in the parliament, there need not be any whip and the members can vote as per their conscience," he added.

Taking objection to the way in which the draft Bill copies have come to town and was cleared at a quick pace, he said, a secretary in the Union Home Ministry has no right to interfere with the administration of the State. He is within his right to handover the copies to the Chief Secretary and even to Chief Minister and not to all others.

In normal course, the Bill take four to five days to reach to the Speaker's Secretariat from Chief Secretary, but here it got the clearances of four Department heads, went to the Chief Minister, to the Governor and back to Chief Minister who sent it to Speaker, all in a hurry in just 10 hours as they burnt the midnight oil going against the Service rules. Working at the behest of Centre, giving a go by to the rules, is against the federal spirit, he said.

As the Bill is important it needs to be discussed in a special session and as the President wanted to know the mood of the House there should be voting and members can vote as per their conscience and there need not be any whip, he added.