BBC Online :
There has been uproar in the Indian parliament over a controversial bill to approve the new state of Telangana in southern India.
The parliament was adjourned soon after it began a session where the government would seek to push nearly 40 key bills.
Other bills expected to be tabled in the session include six proposals to check corruption and bribery and one dealing with religious violence.
The 12-day session is the last one before general elections in summer.
PM Manmohan Singh appealed to the opposition to cooperate in passing the bill to create the new state of Telangana.
“I sincerely hope that after a long debate spreading over many years, the house will in its wisdom be able to transact the business and pass the bill,” he said.
The bill is likely to be fiercely debated after lawmakers in the Congress party-ruled Andhra Pradesh last month opposed the bifurcation of the state.
The move was seen as an embarrassment for the federal government which approved the new state in October.
Telangana, with a population of 35 million, would comprise 10 of Andhra Pradesh’s 23 districts, including the city of Hyderabad.
Backers of the new state say the area has been neglected by the government.
Opponents are unhappy that Hyderabad, home to many major information technology and pharmaceutical companies, would become a shared state capital.
Correspondents say the final decision on a new state lies with the Indian parliament.
Separately, the Congress party-led government has appealed to the opposition parties not to disrupt proceedings in the current session of the parliament and allow “crucial” bills to be passed.
Reports say the current lower of the parliament has been the least productive in history having passed the fewest bills.
The ruling Congress party has blamed the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for disrupting proceedings which have led to the delays.
The BJP has denied the allegation, saying that the Congress should not “give sermons to opposition on disruptions in the parliament”.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said the political parties should “rise above politics and pass six bills which deal with corruption”.
