Outraged at Centre’s decision MPs, MLAs resign

Outraged by the sudden announcement by the Congress leadership about its decision on initiating the process for formation of separate Telangana, MPs, MLAs and other elected representatives from Rayalaseema and Andhra regions across political spectrum revolted and resigned en masse.

As many as 93 MLAs including 53 from Congress, 29 from the Telugu Desam and 11 from the Praja Rajyam submitted their resignations to Speaker N. Kiran Kumar Reddy by Thursday evening while more than 35 MLCs too put in their papers in the afternoon.

The Congress legislators from Andhra and Rayalaseema upped the ante over the decision though they gave their consent to a resolution adopted in the Congress Legislature party meeting authorising AICC president, Sonia Gandhi to take the final call on Telangana. Similarly the TDP MLAs too joined the revolt even though the party had supported the resolution on separate Telangana proposed to be moved in the Legislative Assembly. Most of the MLAs felt they would not be able to face the anger of their constituents.

The decision of the Praja Rajyam Party MLAs to put in their papers came as a surprise for many as the party was in principle not opposed to separate Telangana State.The Telangana Rashtra Samiti, however, appeared indifferent to the developments with the party MLA T. Harish Rao claiming that things would subside in a day or two. “We are not worried about such developments,” he said.

Irate activists of the major political parties and students staged protest demonstrations against the Congress’ decision in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions and the protests took violent turn in Kadiri, Gooty and other cities with police caning the activists who set a few buses on fire. The political parties also gave a call for bandh in Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra regions on Friday in protest against the announcement that was made without taking them into confidence. Students in Visakhapatnam observed ‘black day’ and called for two-day bandh from Friday.

The Congress legislators were apparently caught by surprise over the fast paced developments that followed. The Ministers too were thoroughly divided on the development with IT Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy accusing his colleagues from other regions of enacting the “drama” of resignations.

While a majority of the Ministers from Andhra and Rayalaseema maintained silence on the developments, Panchayat Raj Minister Botcha Satyanarayana, however, found fault with the decision of MLAs from the other regions to put in their papers. Amid the heightened political crisis, the State Cabinet met under the leadership of Chief Minister K. Rosaiah.

Several MLAs who tendered their papers confided privately that the resignation was a measure to reaffirm people in their respective regions that they were not prepared to take things lying down.

Unlike the previous occasion when the high command made them to follow its diktat on the demand for anointment of Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy as the Chief Minister, the ruling party’s MLAs appeared in no mood to relent this time.

Soure from : The Hindu

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