15 MPs resign ; 10 of Cong and 5 of TDP

• Four Central Ministers also offer to step down
• Digvijay convinces them about futility of the move
• Ministers vow to protect Seemandhra interests

New Delhi/Hyderabad: As stormy protests raged in Seemandhra region over the bifurcation decision of the Congress, 15 MPs from the region – Ten from Congress and five from TDP –submitted their resignations in New Delhi on Friday. The Congress MPs who resigned from Lok Sabha on Friday are L Rajagopal, G V Harsha Kumar, Ananta Venkataram Reddy, Sai Pratap, and Vundavalli Arun Kumar and Magunta Srinivasa Reddy.

Rajya Sabha MP K V P Ramachandra Rao also joined them. Rayapati Sambasiva Rao, Sabbam Hari and SPY Reddy had sent their resignation letters to the Speaker on Thursday. The TDP MPs are C M Ramesh and YS Chowdhary (both from Rajya Sabha )and K Narayana ( Machilipatnam ), Nimmala Kistappa ( Hindupur) and Venugopal Reddy (Narasaraopet).

Speaking to media after submitting their resignations, Arun Kumar said: “We have submitted the resignations in Speaker’s format. The aim is to make the Congress High Command sense the seriousness of the situation on the ground in Seemandhra region.” He also indicated that an appointment has been sought and they would like to meet Speaker Meira Kumar to personally explain that the resignations are genuine, so that the same could be accepted without any further delay. Such a personal meeting is required to ensure that the resignations have not been made under any duress, before they are finally accepted.

The TDP MPs felt that the creation of separate Telangana state was meant to benefit the Congress party and enable their leader Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister. The decision was not taken in the interests of the proposed new state, they contended. Four Central Ministers HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju, Minister of State for Telecom Killi Kripa Rani, Minister of State for Finance J D Seelam and Minister of State for Commerce D Purandeshwari called on AICC General Secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, Digvijay Singh, with their resignations.

They sought to impress upon Singh that their continuance in office had become untenable following the CWC decision.
Rejecting their resignations, Singh explained to them that the resignations would not make any sense and they should instead remain in their posts and play a proactive and progressive role in the resolution of issues to the satisfaction of the people of Seemandhra in the run-up to the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

Singh said that as the statutory process for the bifurcation of the State begins, the Union Ministers from the Seemandhra region have a role cut out for them to ensure that justice is done in all matters of sharing of water, power, revenue, assets and liabilities and also with regard to the status of Hyderabad.

Emerging from the meeting, Seelam said, “It should be a win-win situation both for Telangana and Seemandhra. It should not appear to be one-sided. At the same time, I would appeal to the people of Seemandhra region to maintain calm. We, as their representatives, are here to ensure that full justice is done to them.”

Purandeshwari said, “We did come to offer our resignations. But Digvijay Singh persuaded us not to press our resignations.” Killi Kripa Rani said, “Digvijay Singh has assured us that justice would be done to us. He asked us to attend to resolving the issues concerning the region and address the same. He told us as responsible leaders, we should not resign as we have a constructive role to play at this juncture in the Council of Ministers.”

The resignations are aimed at mounting pressure on the Congress High Command and to bring to its notice the virulent protests in the Seemandhra region against the formation of Telangana. The Seemandhra Congress leaders demanded the Congress High Command rescind its decision.

Meanwhile, the Congress high command has decided to constitute a high-power committee which will speak to and convince the MPs and the MLAs who have already submitted their resignations. Digivijay assured them that the high level committee will look into all the issues raised by the MPs and the apprehensions of the MLAs and state ministers. He said the committee would be announced soon.

Seemandhra Congress MPs Harsha Kumar, Anantharami Reddy, Sai Pratap, Vundavalli Arun Kumar, KVP Ramachandra Rao and Lagadapati Rajagopal addressing the media after submitting resignations in New Delhi on Friday