Telangana came a step closer to reality as the Rajya Sabha passed the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill after about a dozen adjournments during the debate.
The Bill was passed without any change as the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party did not press for any of the amendments moved by it following an assurance from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over several issues, including a special package to the Seemandhra region for five years.
The stalemate over the Bill ended after hectic negotiations between the Congress and the BJP over the last two days.
The ruling party refused to accept any amendment, but said the Prime Minister would give an assurance on the floor of the House on certain concerns raised by the BJP. Accepting any amendments would have brought the Bill back to the Lok Sabha.
BJP sources indicated that its effort was to arm-twist the Government into giving a special package for Seemandhra.
The Prime Minister said that the development package would be on the lines of the K-B-K (Koraput-Bolangir-Kalahandi) Special Plan in Odisha and the Bundelkhand special package in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
The nature of such negotiations was made public when Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told the House that the agreed formula was to give a special status to the Seemandhra region for five years.
The CPI(M), Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party and Biju Janata Dal accused both the big parties of “match-fixing” on the Telangana issue.
Tourism Minister Chiranjeevi attacked the Congress leadership for vitiating the situation.
The Prime Minister said the resource gap that may arise in Seemandhra will be compensated by the Centre.