Hectic activity in Hyderabad over Telangana bill

With the bill for formation of separate Telangana state reaching Hyderabad, hectic activity began here Thursday to mobilize support for and against the legislation.

Congress leaders from Telangana went into a huddle to devise a strategy for mounting pressure for immediately taking up debate on the bill while their counterparts from Seemandhra (Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra) submitted a notice to assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar for passing a resolution to urge the central government to keep the state united.

Gade Venkat Reddy, a senior leader from Seemandhra, termed as "unconstitutional" the process initiated by the central government for bifurcation and demanded that a resolution be passed in the assembly before taking up any bill for dividing the state.

Another leader and state minister S. Sailajanath said the speaker should not only allow debate on the bill but should also put it to vote in the house.

Telangana and Seemandhra leaders also separately called on Congress general secretary Digivijaya Singh, who arrived here Thursday on a two-day visit, his first since July 30 decision of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) to bifurcate the state.

His visit is being seen as an attempt by the party leadership to ensure smooth debate on the bill in the assembly, whose winter session began Thursday.

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is opposed to the state's division, called on Digvijaya Singh at Lakeview Guest House and discussed the latest political situation in the wake of Telangana bill being sent to the state assembly by the president.

Information Technology Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah and other Congress leaders and party legislators from Telangana separately met the central leader.

Digvijaya Singh, who is incharge of party affairs in the state, later drove to the residence of state Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana, who is indisposed. The two believed to have discussed the latest developments over Telangana.

Telangana leaders including Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha and state ministers held a meeting to work out their strategy for ensuring immediate debate on the bill.

Government chief whip Gandra Venkatramna Reddy told reporters that the bill should be taken up for debate as soon as it reaches the assembly.

Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) chairman M. Kodandaram and other leaders met Telangana leaders of Congress and other parties and stressed the need for unity among the legislators from the region for immediate debate on the bill.

Digvijaya Singh will attend a meeting of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Friday. He is also likely to meet Governor E. S. L. Narasimhan.

While Telangana leaders of Congress party accorded a warm welcome to Digvijaya Singh at the airport, some non-political groups opposing his visit gave a call for protests.

Raising slogans of "Digivijaya go back", Seemandhra students opposing the bifurcation tried to barge into the guest house where he was staying. Tension prevailed there as police arrested the protestors.

Seemandhra employees at state secretariat and Vidyut Soudha, the headquarters of electricity department, also staged protests against Digvijaya Singh. They alleged that Congress general secretary has come to the state to divide it.