ఫిబ్రవరి 2014: తెలంగాణ బిల్లు పార్లమెంటులో ఎలా ఆమోదం పొందింది?

February 2014: How the Telangana bill passed Parliament

After decades of agitation, the final step towards the formation of Telangana state took place in the Parliament in Delhi. Those two weeks in February 2014 were some of the most tense days in the history of the Indian Parliament. Let's take a look at what happened that day.

Background

On July 30, 2013, the Congress Working Committee and the UPA Coordination Committee approved the formation of Telangana. After that, the Union Group of Ministers (GoM) worked on the bifurcation issues. The draft bill was sent to the joint Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly for the President's opinion. The Assembly passed a resolution rejecting the bill. However, according to Article 3 of the Constitution, the power to form new states lies with Parliament; the opinion of the state legislature is only advisory.

February 13 — Chaos in the Lok Sabha

On February 13, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde introduced the bill in the Lok Sabha. MPs from the Seemandhra region, who were opposed to the division, protested vigorously. In this context, an MP used pepper spray in the House, shocking the country. Several members fell ill. Several MPs were suspended from the House. All parties commented that it was a dark day for the Indian Parliament.

February 18 — Lok Sabha approval

The Lok Sabha debated the bill on February 18 amid protests. The opposition BJP supported the bill with some amendments. The live broadcast of the House was stopped during the voting, which was controversial at the time. The bill was passed by voice vote. Celebrations were held across Telangana, and protests took place in Seemandhra.

February 19 — Chief Minister resigns.

The then Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, who had opposed the division from the beginning, resigned from his post and the Congress party after the Lok Sabha approved it. He later formed a new party.

February 20 — Rajya Sabha, special status guaranteed

The bill was debated in the Rajya Sabha on February 20. On this occasion, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced in the House that the divided Andhra Pradesh would be given special category status for five years. He also made promises like taking up the Polavaram project as a national project and helping with the new capital. The Rajya Sabha also passed the bill. (It is known that the special status was not part of the guarantee act, and it later became a major political controversy.)

March 1 — Presidential approval

On 1 March 2014, President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. On the same day, President's Rule was imposed in the united state. 2 June 2014 was fixed as the "Appointed Day".

Highlights of the law

• Hyderabad was the joint capital of the two states for ten years.

• Rules for the distribution of employees, assets, and debts.

• River Management Boards for the management of Krishna and Godavari waters.

• Some mandals of Khammam district (Polavaram flood areas) were later merged into AP through an ordinance.

• Separation of Schedule 9 and 10 institutions — These issues have not been fully resolved to this day.

June 2, 2014

On the appointed day, Telangana became the 29th state in the country. K. Chandrasekhar Rao was sworn in as the first Chief Minister. Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan continued as the Governor of both the states.

Conclusion

Despite criticism over the chaos in Parliament, the new state was ultimately formed through the constitutional process. Those days, which brought joy to one region and sorrow to another, are forever etched in the history of the Telugu people. The debate over the implementation of the guarantees in that law is still ongoing.

Photo: Nikhilb239 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)