Digvijay Singh expresses hope of passing Telangana bill before polls

Hyderabad: Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh, who is in-charge of party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, said here today that he hoped the bill for the formation of separate Telangana state would be passed before the 2014 general elections though time is short to complete all procedures.

The President has given time till January 23 to Andhra Pradesh Assembly to return the bill after due deliberations. The winter session of parliament concludes this month, which makes it necessary for the Telangana Bill to be taken up subsequently in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. Asked about the strong opposition from AP Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to the state`s division, Singh replied the decision of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) is binding on all Congressmen. Commenting on reports that some Telangana Congress leaders have sought removal of the chief minister, Singh said many Telangana Congress leaders met him but nobody made such a demand. He said all members of the AP legislature have a right to discuss the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh re-organisation Bill in detail.