Telangana issue: Andhra assembly speaker accepts TDP MLA's resignation

Andhra Pradesh assembly speaker N Kiran Kumar Reddy late tonight accepted the resignation of TDP MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh Babu in a first such move over the en masse resignations by legislators from the Telangana region demanding a separate state.

Reddy, who rejected resignation papers of 129 MLAs on the ground that they were not in proper format, accepted Babu's letter after it was found to be in accordance with the prescribed rules. Babu put in his papers in December last year.

Altogether, the speaker had received 222 resignations but 92 MLAs later withrew their papers and Babu's letter was pending.

Today afternoon, Reddy said he would take a decision on Babu's resignation in due course of time but by late evening he accepted it even as 15 other MLAs submitted their resignations afresh.

Babu, a nephew of former Union minister Ch Vidyasagar Rao, was elected to the Assembly from Vemulavada constituency in Karimnagar district. His father Ch Rajeshwara Rao had served five terms as an MLA.

Meanwhile, 38 TDP MLAs from Telangana region today said they would tender their resignations only if all the Congress legislators put in their papers en masse.