Hyderabad:
A new Telangana state will come into being in two weeks come what may, K Chandrasekhara Rao or KCR, a key politician of the region said today as a majority in the Andhra Pradesh assembly rejected the plan, posing a moral dilemma for the Centre.
"By February 15, Parliament will pass the Telangana bill. I have reliable information that Delhi is determined," the leader of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi said.
KCR criticised state Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy for crafting a move to "sabotage" Telangana by pushing a resolution rejecting the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, which was passed by a voice vote. The resolution slammed the bill for not giving credible reasons for dividing the state.
"If we go by majority, Telangana will never be formed," the 59-year-old politician told NDTV, commenting that it was Kiran Reddy, not the bill, that was "defective."
Over 9,000 amendments were proposed in the draft bill, in the state assembly.
KCR, who fronted the campaign that led to the government announcing the creation of Telangana, saw today's developments as one more step towards the fruition of his Telangana dream.
The Andhra Pradesh assembly's rejection is largely symbolic; it was asked to give its views and its vote won't matter. But it poses an ethical question for the Congress, which hopes to pass the bill in the Parliament session beginning on February 5, the last before the national election, due by May. (
Andhra Pradesh assembly rejects Telangana Bill: 10 developments)
The party has opened negotiations with the BJP to ensure bipartisan support, amid signs that the main opposition party wants to appease a potential ally, Telugu Desam Party, by not giving its support to the Telangana bill in this session.
The Congress hopes to reap electoral benefits from its Telangana decision, even though its leaders in the Seemandha region, including the Chief Minister, are dead opposed to it. If it fails to get the bill passed, the party stands to lose in both the Telangana and Seemandhra regions.
"There is no morality involved in the formation of a state, only legality," KCR asserted.