Telangana issue to dominate AP Assembly

Hyderabad, Dec 10: The short winter session of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, beginning tomorrow, is expected to be stormy with the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), estranged ally of the ruling Congress, bent upon stalling the proceedings demanding carving out a separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh.

The main Opposition TDP is determined to put the Congress Government in a tight spot for its omissions and commisions, including alleged tardy flood relief operations and alleged corruption in the irrigation initatives.

Enthused by the decisive victory of its supremo K Chandrasekar Rao in the Karimnagar Lok Sabha by-election, the TRS has decided to disrupt the proceedings from the day one and also raise the alleged non-implementation of the 610 G O stipulating on the repatriation of non-locals from the Telangana region for creation of jobs for locals in the region, party spokesman Madhusudanachari told UNI.

On the other hand, the ruling Congress prepared itself to effectively counter the Opposition during the 10-day session, be it on acquisition of land for various projects, including the prestigious Outer Ring Road (ORR) and Special Economic Zones (SEZ), power supply position, flood relief, the price situation, scholarship for BCs/SCs/STS and death of children in the Government Nilafour Hospital.

The Government is fully prepared to answer any issue on the floor of the House as it had done nothing wrong, be it in land acquisition for various projects, Congress Legislature Party spokesman G Muddkrishnamma Naidu said.

Dismissing the TRS claim that its victory in the Karimnagar bypoll was a referendum on the statehood issue, Mr Naidu reiterated that the party was committed to the constitution of the Second State's Reorganisation Commission to scientifically study the issue.

The TRS would also raise the issue of alleged diversion of Godavari and Krishna waters to other regions at the cost of the Telangana region by taking up the Polavaram project and expansion of the Pothireddypadu head regulator.

Even while deciding to take to legal recourse over the alleged irregularities in counting of votes in the Bobbili Lok Sabha bypoll, the TDP would raise the issue in some form.

The TDP would also raise the price hike in essential commodities, irregularities in acquisition of land for various projects, TDP Spokesman D Amarnath said.

The official business of the House would be decided at a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee tomorrow.

All the Opposition parties are likely to raise the issue of the Central legislation on printing pictoral warning of 'skull and bones' -- occupying 50 per cent of the space of the front portion of a beedi pack.

Mr Amaranath told UNI that though it was alleged by the TRS that the Congress and the TDP had colluded in highlighting the issue to push the Telangana demand to the background, it was an issue and it needed to be discussed in the House.

UNI

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