Jaipal Reddy attacks NDA govt on Polavaram project issue

Senior Congress leader and former union minister S Jaipal Reddy today attacked the NDA government over the Polavaram project issue, alleging the amendment brought to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill was "unconstitutional and undemocratic".
"In my view, the way the amendment has been brought to the AP Reorganisation bill by the NDA government is one-sided, unconstitutional and undemocratic. It is unconstitutional because the process of the division of the state came to an end on March 2," Reddy told reporters here.
A controversial bill that paves the way for the Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh by merging some villages and mandals of Telangana with Seemandhra was approved in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

Pointing out that further amendments to the borders of the states requires the invocation of Article 3 and 4 of the constitution, he claimed the present amendment was constitutionally invalid.
"If there is further amendment to the borders of the state, it has to be started under Article 3 and 4. The amendment is, therefore, not only undesirable but constitutionally invalid," Reddy added.
Article 3 deals with the formation of new states and the alteration of areas, boundaries and names of existing states.
Asked about the next course of action by Telangana Congress MPs in the Rajaya Sabha, Reddy said he was not aware of it.

"They opposed it in the Lok Sabha also.... Perhaps, I cannot say. They will have to speak for themselves," he said, while replying to a question on whether the MPs would oppose the amendment in the Rajya Sabha, as well.