President sends Telangana bill back to Home Ministry

President Pranab Mukherjee is believed to have sent a bill for the creation of Telengana to the Union Home Ministry.

Sources declined to give details of what the President said in forwarding the bill back to the Home Ministry.

Telangana protagonists believe that the President sending the bill back to the government implies that it would go to the Andhra Pradesh assembly for considering it before it either adopts or rejects it.

Rashtrapati Bhavan maintained silence over the issue. In the recent instances of creation of new states, the parent states were given 40 days time to consider the legislation for creation of the new states.

The President had sought legal opinions as he wanted the bill, which provides for creation of Telangana by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh, to be legally sound before sending it to the state assembly for approval.

Shinde had said yesterday that the legislation has been sent to the President through the Prime Minister and after that it would be sent to the state assembly.

The Andhra Pradesh State Reorganisation Bill has already seen a virtual revolt from the state Congress' own Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy who had said recently during a public rally that he would not allow Andhra Pradesh to be divided. We will see how the Bill is passed in Parliament. United Andhra Pradesh is not just a slogan, its our policy, Reddy had said.

Experts said whatever the assembly does, parliament can go ahead with its legislative process for creation of the new state

The Union Cabinet had on December 5 given the go-ahead for the creation of a 10-district Telangana and outlined the blueprint for carving out the country's 29th state.

Telangana will comprise 10 districts and the rest of Andhra Pradesh consists of 13 districts and Hyderabad will remain the common capital for both the states for a period not exceeding 10 years.

The Governor of Telangana will have a special responsibility for security of life, liberty and property of all those who reside in the common capital area. The Governor may be assisted by two advisors to be appointed by the Centre.