New Delhi, Feb.20: Reacting to the passage of the Telangana Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley on Thursday said that it was a historic day, and that he was happy that his party’s efforts to deal with the issue had paid off.
“This is a historic day and I am happy that the BJP’s efforts have paid off. We could have opposed the Bill, but we didn’t. We have played an important role in passing this legislation,” said Jaitley.
Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said that the bill had been passed with the support of majority of the people in the Rajya Sabha including the BJP.
“Two days back bill was passed in Lok Sabha and the opposition had also supported it. Today, the bill went to the Rajya Sabha, and because of the support of the BJP and the other parties, the bill has been passed,” said Shinde.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati said that it was important for all the larger states to be divided into small parts for better functioning.
“It should be thought that the larger states should be divided into small parts. This will clear out things. Uttar Pradesh is still a big state even after formation of Uttarakhand. Things would be better if four states are formed out of it,” said Mayawati.
“But just forming out states is not enough. Special packages should be given to weaker states and the central government should not just think about political interest,” she said.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said that a lot of discussion had taken place before the passage of the bill.
“Everyone had put forth their views and a lot of discussion took place before the passage of the bill. The Parliament finally gave a green signal to an issue which was being awaited for the past 60 years,” said Kamal Nath.
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill or the Telangana Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday in the face of noisy protests.
“Sonia Gandhi and the party decided to give justice to the people of Seemandhra and everyone supported the passage of Telangana,” said Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.
Shinde also said that a special category state status would be given to Seemandhra for a period of five years.
