T-Bill in LS: Security beefed up in Seemandhra

Hyderabad,  With Lok Sabha expected to debate the contentious Telangana bill today, security in Seemandhra region of Andhra Pradesh was beefed up and forces were put on alert to meet any eventuality on the law and order front.

 We are monitoring the situation...police in districts have already been asked to be on alert...depending upon the situation we will take appropriate action, Additional Director General of Police (law and order) VSK Kaumudi said. Police forces are already on alert in view of the protests and bandhs in Seemandhra districts over the past few days and with the Telangana Bill likely to be debated in Lok Sabha today, security arrangements have been heightened.

We are on alert...with Telangana Bill to come for debate...there may be emotional flare-up in some parts... situation is being carefully monitored. Paramilitary forces along with state police personnel were deployed as a precautionary measure, another senior police official of Anantapur Range said.

Ever since the Centre took a decision last year to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh to create Telangana, agitational programmes such as bandhs, massive protests and demonstrations were being held in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions (collectively called Seemandhra) against the move.

On the other hand, Telangana protagonists are preparing for celebrations as they expect the Lok Sabha to give its nod to the bill. There are indications that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy would finally bite the bullet and announce his resignation today against the state's division. In a key bureaucratic reshuffle, two senior IAS officers in the CM office were transferred yesterday.

Several ministers close to him have been saying for the last several days that he would quit. Senior leaders from all parties are camping in Delhi in view of the scheduled debate in Lok Sabha and possible passage of the Telangana bill. TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who addressed a farmers' rally in Punjab on Sunday last, is in Delhi, meeting leaders of different parties.

The former Chief Minister bats for equitable justice to Telangana and Seemandhra (Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema). Naidu met top BJP leaders L K Advani, Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh and important leaders like M Karunanidhi, Jayalalithaa, Sharad Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, A B Bardhan in the last fortnight to expose the unilateral ways of ruling Congress vis-a-vis division.

YSR Congress president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, Lok Sabha member from Kadapa, is in Delhi to attend Parliament session. He met BJP president Rajnath Singh, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat and other leaders to seek their support against the division. TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, also a Lok Sabha member, has been camping in Delhi to attend the ongoing Parliament session. He exuded confidence that separate state would be a reality soon.

-PTI