The Congress 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.
If everything goes according to plan, the Telangana bill will be introduced in the Parliament on December 9, as a symbolic gesture on the occasion of Sonia Gandhi's birthday.
However, one key leader who does not want to join the birthday party is Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy. He has vowed not to allow the state to be cut into pieces like a birthday cake.
Meanwhile, the GoM held its third meeting at the Union Home ministry’s office in the North Block, Delhi, on Thursday.
The GoM will peruse the reports submitted by five parties of the state as also the reports sent by different Union ministries, the Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said. He said the Telangana Bill will be sent to the state Assembly at "an appropriate time".
