Lok Sabha passes Telangana Bill by voice vote amid TV blackout. Hyderabad will be joint capital of Telangana and Seemandhra
New Delhi: Amid pandemonium, the Lok Sabha Tuesday finally passed a bill aimed at carving out a Telangana state out of Andhra Pradesh.
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill was passed by voice vote in the face of noisy protests by Andhra Pradesh MPs opposed to Telangana as well as a section of the opposition parties.
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The critics, including at least one Congress cabinet minister and CPI-M members, massed near Speaker Meira Kumar screaming slogans against Andhra Pradesh's bifurcation but they were ignored.
A fuming Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, leader of the YSR Congress, called it "a black day" in the history of India and announced a general strike in Andhra Pradesh Wednesday.
Telugu Desam Party TDP) MPs shout slogans against the Telangana bill in Parliament in New Delhi on Monday. Pic/AFP
"The bill was passed in parliament today against the will of the (Andhra) assembly, against the will of the people of Andhra Prdesh," he told the media.
"Today we saw how undemocratically the bill has been passed... The way the proceedings took place, the way the ayes and noes were called by the speaker very clearly showed how democracy can be killed in broad daylight.
"It is a black day in the history of the country. We are declaring a bandh in Andhra Pradesh tomorrow."
Amid pandemonium and a television blackout of the proceedings, the Lok Sabha yesterday passed a bill to carve out Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh, triggering joy in the Telangana region and protests elsewhere in the southern state.
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill was passed by voice vote in the face of noisy protests.
The passage of the bill, moved by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, took a total of 90 minutes. The bill was passed amid dramatic scenes. Those opposing the bill massed near Speaker Meira Kumar, some shouting slogans and others holding placards. But they were simply ignored as amendments to the bills were taken up and then the bill was finally declared passed by the lower house.
So high were the tempers in the house that a group of Congress members from Andhra Pradesh stood near Shinde as he read out the clauses in a bid to protect him from anti-Telangana MPs. Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj said the BJP supported the creation of Telangana but not the way it was being done.
‘Black day’
However, the passage of the bill came under severe criticism from various parties. A fuming YS Jaganmohan Reddy, leader of the YSR Congress, dubbed it a ‘black day’ f r the country and called a general strike in Andhra Pradesh today.
Central minister D Purandeswari reportedly sent in her resignation to Sonia Gandhi.
Three Andhra Pradesh ministers from Seemandhra resigned in protest while Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is all set to quit today.
“It is totally undemocratic, immoral and unethical,” said Textiles Minister KS Rao.
Human Resource Development Minister MM Pallam Raju said the bill was passed against all democratic norms.
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