Hyderabad, Oct 19 : The United Andhra Pradesh Congress MLCs and MLAs Forum on Saturday requested Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to bring the Constitutional provisions and practices laid herewith to the notice of the Government of India and take necessary steps to refer both the resolution and the Bill on division of the State, to the State Legislature for its views and also give due respects to the views before going ahead with the process.
The delegation led by Forum Convener and Primary Education Minister Dr S Sailajanath and consisting of MLCs and MLAs Paladugu Venkat Rao, Radraraju Padmaraju, K Kanna Babu, G Srinivasulu Naidu, Vijay and others called on the Chief Minister at Camp Office and submitted the Memorandum.
In the memorandum they said, “We are expecting that both the resolution and the Bill on division of the State will be referred to the State Legislature for views, as required under Constitutional provisions. This is being allayed by the rumours that are prevailing that the Government of India is thinking to bypass the Assembly resolution on this. If it happens, the same is most un-democratic and un-constitutional and against the true spirit of our great Federal Constitution. The Indian Democracy shall face so many challenges”.
“In spite of strong opposition and not paying heed to the sentiments of the people of Andhra and Rayalaseema Regions of the State, the Central Government took a unilateral decision to bifurcate the State of Andhra Pradesh and carve out Telangana State from erstwhile State of Andhra Pradesh. We are very much upset with the way of decisions taking by Govt. of India. It is our strong belief that Govt. of India is not taking the leaders from Andhra and Rayalaseema Regions into confidence”.
The Forum said, “It is pertinent to mention that under Proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution of India, “no Bill for the purpose shall be introduced in either House of Parliament except on the recommendation of the President and unless, where the proposal contained in the Bill affects the area, boundaries or name of any of the States, the Bill has been referred by the President to the Legislature of that State for expressing its views thereon within such period as may be specified in the reference or within such further period as the President may allow and the period so specified or allowed has expired Explanation I.”
“In Democratic India, practices and conventions shall be treated as same value of Articles and provisions written in the great Indian Constitution and other legislative references. In recently formed three States, the erstwhile States have given their consent in the form of resolutions. No State in India was formed against the resolution of State Legislature. In this connection, it is to submit that in his Statement on 9th December, 2009, the then Union Home Minister P Chidambaram also had stated that, “The process of forming the state of Telangana will be initiated. An appropriate resolution will be moved in the State Assembly.” As you are aware, there was strong opposition to the decision in the Andhra and Rayalaseema Regions and all walks of society agitated to withdraw this decision. Conceding to this uprising of the people, P Chidambaram, the then Union Home Minister made another Statement on 23rd December, 2009, that there is a need to hold wide-ranging consultations with all political parties and groups in the State. GOI will take steps to involve all concerned in the process.”
The Forum in its memorandum said, “While referring to Justice Srikrishna Committee report, Chidambaram, made a statement on the Floor of Rajya Sabha that the Government will take on board all views, including concerns on status of Hyderabad, before taking a decision on how to take forward the process. He also stated that the Government will forward in accordance with the Constitution and past practices”.
The Chief Minister assured the representatives of the Forum that all these points would be brought to the notice of the Government of India. INN