Telangana crisis: 37 Congress, 28 TDP MLAs resign

In a bid to mount pressure on the Centre for an early decision on separate Telangana, 37 ruling Congress MLAs, including four ministers, and 28 TDP MLAs from the region today resigned their membership of the Andhra Pradesh assembly.

In Delhi, seven Congress MPs, who had planned to resign from the Lok Sabha, did not keep their scheduled meeting with speaker Meira Kumar who waited for some time before leaving her chamber. Now, she has given them time at 5:30 pm.

Four Andhra Pradesh ministers K Jana Reddy, J Geeta Reddy, Ponnala Lakshmaiah and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy submitted resignations from the membership of state sssembly today demanding immediate creation of Telangana state.

They submitted their resignations to assembly deputy speaker at 12 noon.

The resignations are intended to get the Centre take a decision on creation of separate Telanagana state over which it had appointed a committee that had given its report last year.

The Congress has 50 MLAs from the region in the 294-member assembly.

As many as 28 Telugu Desam Party MLAs from Telangana submitted resignation from their posts demanding creation of a separate state.

Three Congress MLAs, including a rebel, too submitted their resignations on the same issue.

The TDP legislators met Andhra Pradesh assembly deputy speaker Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and submitted their resignations en masse.