Report of GoM on Telangana may come to cabinet next week

The Group of Ministers (GoM), set up to look into the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, may submit its report along with the draft Telangana Bill to the Union Cabinet next week.

The GoM, headed by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, has already completed the process of discussions with various stake holders and fastened the mode of preparing the final report and the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, seeking to carve out a separate state of Telangana.

The ministerial panel will meet again tomorrow to give its finishing touch to the report and the Bill before being submitted to the Union Cabinet next week, sources privy to the development told PTI.

The GoM had held a series of meetings with leaders of eight political parties, Union Ministers from Andhra Pradesh and Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and government officials in the last one month and they gave their opinion on distribution of assets and other issues between the new state and the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh.

Shinde had already said that the Telangana Bill would be tabled in the Winter Session of Parliament.

Sources said following an instruction from Congress high command, the GoM has speeded up the whole process.

Once the Cabinet clears the proposal, it will go to the President who in turn will refer it to Andhra Pradesh Assembly for approval. However, the Assembly resolution is not binding under the Constitution.

The Union Cabinet then can consider the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill and with Union Cabinet's approval, it will send it to the President before being tabled in Parliament.

The Winter Session of Parliament commences on December 5 and will conclude on December 20.