Eleven Congress MPs from Telangana on Thursday decided to resign from the House in protest against the Centre's decision that appeared to put the separate state issue on the backburner. However, there was no clarity on what Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy, who is also an MP from Telangana region, proposes to do.
Eleven Congress MPs from Telangana on Thursday decided to resign from the House in protest against the Centre's decision that appeared to put the separate state issue on the backburner. However, there was no clarity on what Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy, who is also an MP from Telangana region, proposes to do.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 11 MPs met at the Andhra Bhavan here to chalk out their strategy in the wake of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram's statement late Wednesday night that said the situation in Andhra Pradesh has altered since his December 9 statement on a separate state and there was a need for wide-ranging consultations on the issue.
Madhu Yashki, one of the MPs, told reporters they were yet to decide whether to give their resignations to party president Sonia Gandhi or the Lok Sabha Speaker. They would, however, convey their protests against government's action to Gandhi.
The MPs plan to meet Jaipal Reddy and convey their decision. The MPs said since Reddy was a Union minister, he fell under a different category and a decision by him should take into account various other factors.
Rao, eight TRS MLAs resign
After Telangana Rashtra Samiti President K Chandrasekhar Rao resigned, eight of the party's MLAs have put in their papers in protest against the Centre's alleged betrayal on the Telangana issue.
Rao, who is a Lok Sabha member from Mahabubnagar, sent his resignation letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker late Wednesday night while the party's eight MLAs have also quit their posts. "The party's MLAs have also resigned over the Centre's betrayal on the Telangana statehood demand," senior TRS legislator T Harish Rao said.
TRS, a section of Congress leaders in Telangana and Praja Rajyam Party's Telangana leaders, have decided to form a Joint Action Committee (JAC) to spearhead the agitation for the statehood demand.
The parties and other Telangana outfits would meet shortly to decide their future course of action over the issue.
TDP MLAs to resign, party supports bandh
u00a0
Ten TDP MLAs on Thursday decided to resign in protest against the Centre's decision that appeared to put the Telangana issue on the backburner even as the main opposition party extended support to the two-day bandh called in the region.
At a party meeting here, 10 TDP MLAs belonging to Telangana decided to submit their resignations to Speaker N Kiran Kumar Reddy.
Former Andhra Pradesh Minister and TDP legislator N Janardhan Reddy told reporters that the Congress has betrayed the Telangana people by diluting its earlier promise of granting statehood to the backward region.
Reddy said his party wanted the bandh to be peaceful and appealed to the students and general public to support the shutdown. The bandh, which began midnight last night, has been called by the TRS and other parties to protest the Centre's move to hold further consultations on the Telangana statehood issue.