Echoes of Andhra Pradesh bifurcation heard in Parliament again

The echoes of the Andhra Pradesh bifurcation, which was put to effect in early2014, were heard again on Monday and Tuesday in both Houses of Parliament during the debate on bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir.

First, Home Minister Amit Shah hurled a jibe at the Congress ranks on Monday evening in the debate in the Rajya Sabha. He pointed out that the Andhra Pradesh bifurcation was done in a most undemocratic manner in the House, by closing the doors and switching off all the TVs in the face of stiff opposition from the members of parliament (MPs) from the Andhra region. "Please don't lecture us on democracy. We all know how the bifurcation of AP was done by you," he snubbed the Congressmen.

Congress leader Gulab Nabi Azad vehemently objected to the remarks of the Home Minister, saying that all the parties in the State had agreed first to the bifurcation and wide consultations were conducted. "I was also involved in the consultation and in the process. The Home Minister is misrepresenting facts," he objected.

On Tuesday, when Congress leader Manish Tiwari said that the opinion of the J&K Assembly was not taken into account, the MPs of YSR Congress vehemently objected, with the retort. "That is what you did to Andhra. We were opposing it in Andhra, but you bifurcated the State."

Tiwari again rebutted the allegation, saying, "We did take the opinion of the AP Assembly. The Assembly was very much involved in the process."

Both the ruling YSR Congress and the Telugu Desam Party extended support to the BJP-led NDA Government on bifurcation of J&K and abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution.

Both the Congress and the BJP were completely wiped out in the recent General Election and the State Assembly elections.