Telangana issue likely to dominate Andhra budget session
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Hyderabad: The Telangana issue is likely to dominate proceedings of the budget session of Andhra Pradesh Legislature which begins tomorrow.
Other issues likely to come up during the session, which is expected to run till March 31, are non-reimbursement of tuition fee for students pursuing professional courses, farmers' problems, the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal award and corruption in government projects.
Governor E.S.L Narasimhan will deliver the customary address to the joint session of Assembly and Council at 11 am.
While Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) has threatened to disrupt the governor's address on the statehood issue, CPI said it would raise a protest over non-reimbursement of tuition fee.
The Telangana protagonists within the main Opposition TDP have also threatened to disrupt the Governor's address on the statehood issue.
The 'non-cooperation movement', to be launched tomorrow by Telangana employees and officers with the support of political parties to press for statehood demand, is also likely to affect the functioning of the Legislature.
Civil Supplies Minister D Sridhar Babu appealed to the employees not to paralyse the Legislature with their stir.
The protesters, however, have refused to pay heed. The ruling Congress is yet to find a candidate for the Assembly Speaker's post close to three months after N Kiran Kumar Reddy was elevated as chief minister in November.
The winter session of Assembly, which was only for six working days, was conducted with Deputy Speaker Nadendla Manohar at the helm.
Though Manohar is in the race for the Speaker's post, the Congress high command is yet to take a decision on his elevation. Congress sources feel a decision on the election of Speaker is unlikely to be taken soon.
Finance Minister Aanam Ramanarayana Reddy will present the Budget for 2011-12 on February 23. Indications are that the Budget estimates could be pegged at over Rs 1.20 lakh crore despite the state's balance sheet remaining red.
The Assembly will see changed political equations this time with Praja Rajyam Party (PRP), the third largest grouping in the House with 18 MLAs, deciding to merge with Congress.
But the members of PRP, led by its chief, filmstar K. Chiranjeevi, will continue to occupy separate seats in the Assembly as technical formalities related to the 'merger' have not been completed yet.
The TRS, that has 11 MLAs in the 294-member Assembly, has threatened to move a no-confidence motion against the government, despite lacking in numbers.
At least 30 members are required to endorse the no-confidence motion for it to be taken up for discussion by the House. TRS challenged TDP to support the motion to prove it had not entered into a 'match-fixing' with Congress.
TDP, however, was not ready to take TRS' bait saying, it knew when and how to press for a no-confidence motion.
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