Hyderabad/New Delhi, Jan 23 (IANS): President Pranab Mukherjee has extended, till Jan 30, the deadline for Andhra Pradesh legislature to debate Telangana bill and send its opinion.

Legislature Secretary Raja Sadaram read out in the Andhra assembly the letter of the president, allowing another week to debate Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill 2013.

The deadline for the legislature to send back the bill to the president with its opinion was ending Thursday and the state government had sought time till Feb 20.

Andhra Chief Secretary P. K. Mohanty had last week sent a letter to union home ministry, seeking extension of the time by four weeks on the ground that the time given till Jan 23 was not sufficient to complete the debate.

The ministry had also summoned Mohanty and other officials to the national capital to know about the status of the debate. The president is believed to have given extension of a week on the recommendation of the ministry.

The president on Dec 12 had referred to the legislature the bill under article 3 of the constitution for its opinion. The same was introduced in both the houses on Dec 16 amid ruckus. The bill, however, could not be taken up for debate for several days due to protests by legislators from Seemandhra (Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra).

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