Hyderabad: Contesting the Centre’s position that there is no proposal to increase the number of Assembly seats in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Telangana has asked the Union government to go in for constitutional amendment to honour the promise on the issue.
In the last Parliament session, Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir had in a written reply to T Devender Goud (TDP) said there is no such proposal under government’s consideration.
Ahir had also said that opinion of the Ministry of Law and Justice was sought on the issue (increasing the number of Assembly seats in the two Telugu states), and the Attorney General had replied in the negative.
Telangana Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development and Industries and Commerce, K T Rama Rao noted today that it (the proposal to increase the number of seats) is a promise made in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.
“It’s not as if it’s a political commitment or anything; it’s a commitment which the government is bound by statute because AP Reorganisation Act was passed by both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha,” Rama Rao, son of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, told PTI.
“Once both Houses of Parliament have passed the Act, they don’t really have a choice; the point is: AP Reorganisation Act says the number of seats will be enhanced. We believe they (the Centre) should go for constitutional amendment,” he said.
“They have no choice but to fulfil it (the promise made in the Act). If they don’t want to fulfil it, they have to answer to the people why they are not doing it,” he said.
Telangana officials pointed out that it has been provided in section 26(1) of the AP Reorganisation Act that subject to the provisions contained in Article 170 of the Constitution and without prejudice to section 15 of this Act, the number of seats in Legislative Assemblies of the successor states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana shall be increased from 175 and 119 to 225 and 153, respectively.