Bifurcation issue to hold sway over AP winter session

The winter session of Andhra Pradesh Legislature beginning tomorrow could be the final session of 'united' AP, if the Centre's plan of splitting the state into two fructifies.

The only probable agenda before the Legislature, particularly the state Assembly, is a debate on the draft AP Reorganisation Bill-2013 being referred by the President under Article 3 of the Constitution for "expressing views."

The debate is likely to be acrimonious, given the frayed tempers and exasperation on both sides of the state's regional divide over the Centre's decision.

There will be no voting as such at the end of the debate on the draft Reorganisation Bill, but Legislature sources say there will nevertheless be a clear count of those who favoured or opposed it.

Though the 'head count' will not have any bearing on the Centre's decision to divide the state, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has openly challenged the central government to get the Bill passed in Parliament after the draft is "rejected" by the Assembly.

The main game plan of legislators from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions is to see that the draft Bill is not returned to the Centre before the conclusion of Parliament's winter session, to ensure the bifurcation process is delayed.

Till date, the AP Assembly did not pass any resolution either seeking bifurcation of the state or opposing it. Such a resolution is not a constitutional requirement for bifurcation or creation of a state.

But the Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu wrote separate letters to the President reminding him of the "tradition" set by the erstwhile NDA government while creating new states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand.

"Such tradition needs to be followed if AP is to be divided," they told the President.

The major cause for heartburn among Seemaandhra leaders and people is the "highhanded manner" in which the Centre has been going ahead with the bifurcation exercise by totally ignoring the concerns they raised.