Telangana bill not in Monsoon Session, will ensure new state in six months: Sushilkumar Shinde

Sushilkumar Shinde said on Thursday that the process of the creation of a new Telangana state will take at least four to five months.

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Thursday ruled out the possibility of the introduction of the bill for the creation of Telangana in the Monsoon Session of Parliament. However, he ensured that the new state will become a reality in six months. "Not in this session. I do not think it will come so soon. May be, by next session," the Union Minister said at a press conference here. Shinde said, "Normally it takes 8-9 months but we will try to do at the earliest. May be five and half months to six months, may be earlier than that." Asked whether the central government was bypassing the normal practice of the state assembly adopting a resolution for creating a separate state, Shinde said Andhra Pradesh Assembly had discussed the issue of a separate Telangana in the past. "Not at all (we are not bypassing). Already, the issue was discussed in Andhra Pradesh Assembly. Now, if the proposal comes from the state, it would be good. But if it does not come, other ways are open. We will discuss and move forward according to the Constitution," he said. Home Minister, however, ruled out formation of a Second States Reorganisation Commission to consider the demands for separate statehood and made it clear that no commitment has been given to any organisation for creating any Union Territory. "I appeal to everyone who are demanding new states that they should not resort to violence. They can agitate but follow the democratic process, peaceful agitation. The government of India is ready to listen to everyone carefully," he told mediapersons. Shinde added that the government was aware of the demands for creation of separate states in Cooch Behar (North Bengal), Bodoland, Gorkhaland and Karbi Anglong. "It is not that the government is neglecting them. We are ready to listen to them. Wherever workable, the government will take a decision. We have done in the past in Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and in Chhattisgarh," he said. Asked whether he had given any commitment for creation of an Union Territory for Gorkhas in Darjeeling, Shinde replied in the negative. "I have not given any commitment on any Union Territory. I listen to everyone but do not say anything. I do not give any commitment," he said. The Home Minister said the government no longer follows the policy of creating new states on the basis of language which was the precedence in the past. "Earlier, states were formed on the linguistic line. But no more we follow that, not on linguistic line now," he clarified. Asked why demand for separate Vidarbha was not conceded by the Centre along with Telangana, Shinde said not only Vidharbha, many organisations have been demanding states for different regions. "But Telangana was the oldest demand. Telangana issue was first raised in 1951 and then in 1956. It was the oldest demand for separate state," he said. Shinde said demand for Vidarbha has been pending for last 25-30 years and the region joined with Maharashtra when the state was formed in 1960. Meanwhile, nine Congress MLAs and three MLCs today resigned from their posts in Andhra Pradesh protesting bifurcation of the state. With PTI inputs