The political circles are abuzz with speculation that a special session of the Assembly will be convened on November 25 to debate on the draft Telangana bill to be referred to it by the Centre.
The AICC General Secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, Digvijay Singh, is said to have informed the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy about the schedule and asked him to make the necessary arrangements.
It remains to be seen what strategies will Kiran will formulate to ensure its defeat in the House. However, the UPA government has already made it clear that the draft Telangana bill will not be put to voting in the Assembly and only the views of the House would be sent to the Centre. The Assembly's views are not binding on the union government as the Parliament has all the powers to create a new state.
The Chief Minister's camp is keen on sending across a strong message to the Centre that a majority of the people and their elected representatives are opposed to the division of the state. The best way to do it is by defeating the draft bill on the floor of the House, it is felt. However, it remains to be seen whether the Chief Minister would get that leeway to put the bill for voting.
The Congress central leaders are virtually racing against time to complete preparation of the Telangana bill and present it as a birthday gift to their president Sonia Gandhi on December 9. All efforts are now directed towards meeting that deadline. Sonia can now expect a gift-wrapped Telangana as her birthday present.
Fast-forwarding the process, the seven-member Group of Ministers (GoM) is expected to complete its exercise by the end of this month. A draft bill will then be placed before the Union cabinet, After the cabinet clearance, it will be sent to the President Pranab Mukherjee. He will refer it to the State Assembly for its views which are, of course, not binding on the Centre. After getting the presidential assent, the bill will be introduced in the Parliament.
