Is Telangana bill a money bill?

The government is seeking legal opinion to know if the Telangana bill needs to be treated as a money bill, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said Tuesday. "The government is seeking legal opinion if the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Bill is a money bill or not," Nath told reporters.

Informed sources said the question was raised by the Rajya Sabha secretariat which pointed out the bill had financial implications and hence can be considered as a money bill. A money bill can be introduced only in Lok Sabha.

"The government is holding discussions on the issue on the possibility of tabling it in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha," Kamal Nath said.

The bill was to be introduced in the Rajya Sabha Tuesday to prevent it from getting lapsed in case the bill is not passed in this session.

The Rajya Sabha also has fewer anti-Telangana members than the Lok Sabha. Asked about its MPs disrupting parliament, the minister said: "These are not people from the Congress, it is not a party issue, this is Seemandhra versus Telangana."