President sends Telangana Bill to Andhra assembly

A day after members of Parliament from the Seemandhra region brought a no-confidence motion in Parliament, President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday sent the Telangana Bill to the Andhra Pradesh assembly for consideration and has given the state's legislators six weeks' time to decide on the issue of bifurcation of the state.

Reports quoting Rashtrapati Bhavan sources, however, said the President's office had not specified any time-frame while sending the bill on Telangana to the home ministry, adding that the union government wanted the assembly to communicate its views to the President within a period of six weeks.

The President is reported to have consulted legal experts on various provisions of the draft Telangana Bill proposing splitting of Andhra Pradesh before sending it to the home ministry for forwarding it to Andhra Pradesh assembly.

There are speculations suggesting that the assembly would have to get back within 40 days though no one in the President's office or the centre could confirm it.

If the state assembly approves the centre's plan to split the state, this could be the final session of the united Andhra Pradesh assembly.

However, with both the ruling Congress party and opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) opposed to the centre's move to split the state, it is unlikely that the state assembly, which saw a stormy start to the winter session, adopts the bill.

Leader of the breakaway YSR Congress faction and son of erstwhile Congress chief minister Rajasekhara Reddy, Jagan Mohan Reddy, meanwhile, said parties will rise to the occasion to go against Sonia Gandhi and against everyone, to instead support the no-confidence motion against the centre.