The much-anticipated draft AP Reorganisation Bill-2013 could not be tabled in the state Assembly as the House was adjourned till Monday after MLAs from either side of the regional divide disrupted the proceedings, in what was seen as a game of one- upmanship.
At the end of the day, legislators, including ministers, from Telangana region were left red-faced while those from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema appeared euphoric that their game plan worked.
The House was caught in pandemonium ever since it sat for the day's proceedings at 10 a.m as MLAs from Telangana and Seemaandhra regions stormed the Speaker's podium holding placards and raising slogans for and against the bifurcation of the state.
Two adjournments for half-an-hour each did not restore order in the House, resulting in the final adjournment for the day close to 2 p.m.
The draft Bill was sent to the state government by the President of India last night.
The President, as per Article 3 of the Constitution, sought the views of the Assembly on the bifurcation and gave time till January 23 for returning it to him.
Though it was widely expected that the draft Bill would be tabled in the House today, the din caused by the legislators did not allow the formality to be completed.
Official sources in the Legislature, however, pointed out that the Speaker has to take a decision on the tabling of the draft Bill as it was marked "secret".
Ironically, MLAs from Telangana were found seething even as their colleagues from Seemaandhra appeared upbeat that the draft Bill was not tabled in the House.
So much was the anger among the Telangana legislators that Deputy Chief Minister C Damodara Rajanarasimha reportedly threatened to move a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy.
"Kiran is anti-Telangana and he is blocking the Bill at every step. We have lost trust in him," the Deputy Chief Minister reportedly told a group of Congress MLAs from Telangana in the Assembly lobbies.
He demanded that a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party be convened immediately so that they could express their displeasure over the Chief Minister.
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