Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Saturday claimed that voting on the Andhra Pradesh state Reorganisation Bill is a must in the Legislative Assembly.
In an informal chat with reporters in the Assembly lobby, the Chief Minister said that the Centre's seeking of the Assembly's opinion means that voting on the Bill is required. He said that no state in the country was carved out without the Reorganisation Bill being voted on in the respective Assembly. He said that even Andhra Pradesh was formed in 1956 after voting was carried out in the Assembly.
The Chief Minister also said that the debate on the Telangana Bill has not begun in the Assembly. He hoped that the discussion on the Bill would start in the House from Monday.
He said that a decision has to be taken on whether there ought to be a general debate on the Telangana Bill or a debate on each clause of the Bill.
When asked about possibility of extension of time for a debate on the Telangana Bill beyond January 23, the Chief Minister said that clarity would come only after the debate starts. However, he reiterated his contention that a division of the state would cause damage to both the regions. (INN)