Creation of Telangana: Ministers' panel completes talks with stakeholders

New Delhi: The Group of Minister or GoM, set up by the central government to look into the creation of a Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh, has completed the process of discussions with various stakeholders.

"We have completed the process of discussions with others. Now the GoM members will meet to discuss among themselves to finalise the report to be submitted to the Cabinet as soon as possible," Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said today.

After a series of meetings between the ministers' panel and Union ministers from Andhra Pradesh and Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Mr Shinde told reporters that the Telangana Bill will be tabled in the Winter Session of Parliament, which commences from December 5.

The Group of Ministers, headed by Mr Shinde, will meet again on November 21 and is likely to send the report to the Union Cabinet for consideration by month end, sources said.

Sources also said that following an instruction from Congress high command, the GoM has held a series of meetings with different stakeholders, including eight political parties, in the last 10 days.

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The Home Ministry has started compiling reports of different ministries which gave their opinion on distribution of assets and other issues between the new state and the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh.

Once the Cabinet clears the proposal, it will go to the President who in turn will refer it to Andhra Pradesh Assembly for approval. However, the Assembly resolution is not binding under the Constitution.

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The central government will then prepare Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill and with Union Cabinet's approval, it will send it to the President before being tabled in Parliament.