New Delhi:
The controversial bill that creates a new state of Telangana by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh has been cleared by the cabinet. It will be sent to the President and then presented in Parliament.
To propitiate Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and other party leaders who are vehemently opposed to the division of the state, the Congress has agreed to some of their demands. However, despite their lobbying, the booming IT hub of Hyderabad will not be designated a union territory. It will be a shared capital for the next 10 years between the old and new state but its revenue is unlikely to be divided, said sources.
The Congress-led central government is determined to push the legislation through before this session of Parliament - the last before the national election - ends on February 21. The party's central leadership believe that the move will be a vote-getter in Telangana.
Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and other dissenters belong to the two non-Telangana regions jointly referred to as "Seemandhra." They have been trying to delay the bill's introduction in Parliament in the hope that Andhra Pradesh will head into the election undivided, sparing them the wrath of voters worried about losing power, water and other resources from Telangana.
The chief minister embarrassed the party by staging a protest in the heart of Delhi this week; some union ministers from Andhra Pradesh joined him.
Parliament has seen persistent disruptions over issue ever since it convened on Wednesday, imperiling other important legislation.