Government confused over Telangana Bill, to introduce it on Thursday

NEW DELHI: As the UPA government in a widely-publicised state of confusion – rushing from Rashtrapati Bhavan to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, back to Rashtrapati Bhavan and finally to the Lok Sabha Secretariat – tried to figure out whether the Telangana bill was a money bill and whether rules mandated its introduction first in the Lok Sabha, many Congress and UPA leaders

The fact that the Congress core committee had to tell the government on Tuesday that it was indeed a category A bill and should be introduced in the Lok Sabha publicized, according to many senior party leaders, how little diligence was done by government managers in piloting a bill that has high political stake for Congress.

The home ministry is the custodian of Telangana Bill and the law ministry legally vetted it. The UPA Cabinet has many senior ministers with legal and administrative acumen too. Yet, government managers woke up to the goof-up only when the Rajya Sabha Secretariat sent a query to the law ministry on the nature of the bill on Monday night.

The query led to the government rolling back its plan to push the bill first in the RS. The U-turn made many wonder if the government had sought permission from Rashtrapti Bhavan under a wrong rule. By Tuesday evening, government mangers informally acknowledged the mistake by informing the Lok Sabha Secretariat that the bill would be introduced in the House on Thursday. And they had to revisit Rashtrapti Bhavan to get a fresh permission. “I am just a student of political science and parliamentary practices. The bill should have been introduced in the Lok Sabha as it contains financial implications. I think those in-charge should have followed Article 101(1) Section 24 (F) read along Article 117 Section 1(3). I am amazed and disappointed,” said a senior Congress Minister.

Even days after the Cabinet cleared the bill, many on the ruling side feel some of its provisions could come for legal scrutiny.

Questions are being asked on how the Governor can be in charge of law and order in a joint capital. “As per the Constitution, the governor can be in charge of law and order in a UT or in Fifth Schedule Areas (for protection of Scheduled Tribes) or when a state is under President’s rule. Nowhere else,” said a senior Congress leader with considerable administrative experience.

Since the governor is to go by the advice of the state Cabinet on all other matters, whether the Governor in the joint capital would follow the advice of Telangana Cabinet or Seemandhra Cabinet is a grey area, a government source said.