Setting at rest the controversy over whether the discussion on the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill-2013 had commenced, the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the Assembly on Tuesday endorsed Deputy Speaker Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka’s ruling that the debate had begun on Monday itself.
Even Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, the Leader of the House, is understood to have accepted the decision at the marathon BAC meeting at Speaker N Manohar’s chambers in the Assembly complex.
Sources said the BAC had decided that the House would debate the bill till Friday and resume it after Christmas and New Year recess. The schedule of the second phase of the debate would be decided later. The debate is likely to be resumed either on January 2 or 3 and may continue for 10 days from then on.
Besides the Chief Minister, his deputy Damodara Rajanarasimha, Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu, Finance Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, Revenue Minister N Raghuveera Reddy, Government Chief Whip Gandra Venkataramana Reddy and other whips represented the treasury benches.
Sources told Express that Kiran had pressed for voting on each and every clause of the bill, but his proposal was rejected by his own deputy and Sridhar Babu. Kiran then urged his Telangana colleagues to cooperate with the Chair during the debate so that each member gets the opportunity to express his/her opinions, to which the latter agreed. Leader of the Opposition and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu did not attend the BAC meeting even though he was very much in the Assembly at the time. TDP’s deputy leaders, Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu and Motkupalli Narasimhulu, represented the party in the BAC.
It is learnt that Seemandhra TDP leader Muddukrishnamma and YSRC members headed by Y S Vijayamma cornered the Chief Minister over continuing the debate. They demanded that he first move a Samaikyandhra resolution in the House. But Kiran is learnt to have rejected the demand forcing the YSRC members and the TDP leader to stage a walkout.
Vijayamma along with party MLAs Bhuma Shobha Nagi Reddy and G Srikanth Reddy attended the meeting. TRS floor leader Etela Rajender and his deputy T Harish Rao were also present. J Ranga Reddy from the CPM, Gunda Mallesh from the CPI and Jayaprakash Narayan from the Lok Satta also attended the meeting, whereas BJP floor leader G Kishan Reddy chose to skip it.