Hyderabad, Feb 2 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy Sunday exuded confidence that President Pranab Mukherjee will keep in mind the resolutions passed in the state legislature rejecting state reorganization bill while taking a decision on forwarding the bill to parliament.
He told reporters here that he is confident that the president will uphold the provisions of the constitution which give due importance to resolutions passed in the state legislature.
Kiran Reddy said the president had full freedom to take a decision on whether to forward the bill only after satisfying himself with regard to the constitutional and legal issues involved. “The president may even seek opinion of the Supreme Court,” he said.
Kiran Reddy said he would meet the president on Feb 4 or 5 and was ready to take leaders of opposition Telugu Desam and YSR Congress with him for a joint representation.
Continuing his attacks on Congress-led UPA government at the centre, he wondered why it was in a hurry to push through the bill in parliament.
“When you have waited for many years, wait for another two months. Let Telugu people decide in elections whether they want the state to be divided or want to keep it united,” he said, warning the people would not keep quiet if their future was decided in Delhi in an arbitrary manner.
He dismissed criticism on the resolutions passed by voice vote in both house of state legislature on Jan 30 and pointed out that 90 percent of the bills in parliament are passed by a voice vote.
He claimed that the resolutions were unchallenged and unopposed and termed them the most powerful weapons to stall the state’s bifurcation. He said the opinion of both the houses of the legislature for a united Andhra Pradesh was voiced through the resolutions.
Kiran Reddy said no state was bifurcated without a resolution being passed in the concerned state assembly.
Reiterating that the state developed during last 50 years due to the hard work of the people, Kiran Reddy said he had already explained how the bifurcation would cause more harm than the good to people of both Seemandhra and Telangana.