Cong, TDP MLAs quit

• 3 ministers resign, others in a dilemma
• 30 Cong MLAs, 16 TDP MLAs among
• 60 resigned so far from Seemandhra

• Seemandhra Cong leaders meet on Thursday morning
• By evening fissures develop among them over resignations
• Some submit resignations to Assembly Secretary
• Others hand over papers to PCC President Botcha
• 16 TDP MLAs and 3 TDP MLCs faxed resignations to Speaker

Hyderabad: Two days after the decision on Telangana, trouble seems to be brewing for the Congress in Seemandhra region. The people’s representatives, who had been under pressure from the protesters for last two days, decided on Thursday to submit their resignations en masse.

Accordingly three ministers, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Erasu Pratap Reddy and T G Venkatesh, 30 Congress MLAs and seven MLCs, 16 TDP MLAs and three MLCs from Seemandhra region resigned from their memberships in the Assembly and the Legislative Council. The decision to resign was taken by Congress MLAs at an emergency meeting held at Club House in Ministers Quarters here on Thursday morning. The meeting attended by 15 ministers, 25 MLAs and 20 MLCs resolved that all representatives should resign and participate in the agitation, seeking to keep the State united.

Speaking to media after the meeting, former Minister J C Diwakar Reddy said they were differing with the T decision of their party leadership and resolved to put in their papers in order to take part in the ongoing agitation in their regions. He said they felt that the Seemandhra leaders had done a grave mistake by remaining silent and not resorting to agitations. “Those (in T region) who had agitated and vandalised are served in a silver plate while the others have been ignored,” he said. He also lashed at TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu and YSRCP for supporting bifurcation of the state. He said the meeting also resolved that the MPs and the Union Ministers from Seemandhra also resign.

But by the evening fissures appeared and nine Congress MLAs and three MLCs submitted resignations in Speaker’s format to the Assembly Secretary while another nine MLAs and three MLCs who were present in Hyderabad handed over their resignation letters to PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana.

The group that handed over the resignations to Botcha felt that this was the best way to draw the attention of the party high command. Those who submitted the resignations to the Speakers office are J C Diwakar Reddy, Gade Venkat Reddy, Daggupati Venkateswara Rao, K Sudhakar, Adinarayana Reddy, U Narsimha Reddy, G Murali Krishna, Anam Vivekananda Reddy, Kamalamma, (all MLAs) and MLCs Mohd Jani, Ruraraju Padmaraju and Sudhakar Babu handed over the letters of resignation to the Assembly Secretary.

Those who handed over resignation letters to the PCC president are K Nageswara Rao, K Subbarayudu, V Srinivas, Malladi Vishnu, Vanga Geeta, Kannababu, B Usharani, K Venkatrami Reddy and Ch Venkatramaiah (all MLAs) and MLCs Paladugu Venkat Rao, G Srinivasulu Naidu and Tippeswami.

Madanapalle MLA Shahajahan. Tadepalligudem MLA E Nani and MLC D Tippa Reddy faxed their resignation letters to the Speaker and Chairman on Legislative Council respectively. Similarly Anaparti MLA Sesha Reddy, Yelamanchali MLA Ramanamurthy Raju and Chittoor MLA C K Babu also faxed their resignation letters to the Speaker N Manohar.MP SPY Reddy faxed his resignation letter to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the chairman of official Languages Commission, M Buddha Prasad sent his resignation letter to Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy.

Serious differences cropped up among the ministers. Barring Ganta Srinivasa Rao and Kasu Krishna Reddy who faxed his resignation letters to the Chief Minister and Speaker, others like Dokka Manikya Varaprasad,P Balaraju , K Parthasaradhi, Syed Mohammed Ahmadullah, Pithani Satyanarayana and Thota Narasimham decided against submitting resignations. The ministers barring K Lakshminarayana, C Ramachandraiah and N Raghuveera Reddy met the Chief Minister and discussed the day’s developments with him.

Earlier all the Seemandhra ministers held another round of meeting at the residence of Balaraju and decided not to resign. They felt that being in the government they would be able to fight for best package to Seemandhra.
The TDP legislators who sent their resignations are P Sunita, P Keshav, K Prasad, Abdul Gani, P Raghunatha Reddy, Parthasarathi, T Prabhakar, D Umamaheswara Rao, Sriram Tate, P Pulla Rao, D Narendra, T Linga Reddy, Sridhar, E Srinivasa Rao, N Ananda Babu. The three MLCs who resigned are N Rajakumari, Samanthakamani and Govind Reddy.