TDP MLAs to pressurise speaker to accept resignations

In the game of one-upmanship, Telugu Desam Party legislators from Andhra and Rayalaseema have decided to pressurise the Speaker Kiran Kumar Reddy to accept their pending resignations.

TDP Member of Legislative Assembly from Chittoor district G Muddukrishnamma Naidu said the TDP MLAs and Members of Legislative Council would call on the speaker on Tuesday and request him to immediately accept their resignations.

Forty MLAs of the TDP from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions have already submitted their resignations to the speaker as a protest against the Centre's decision to go ahead with the process of forming Telangana state.

While the Congress' strategy was to keep the issue of MLAs' resignation in cold storage till a solution was found, the TDP is trying to precipitate the matters.

"The game plan is to force the speaker to accept the resignations so that he will be forced to take a decision on the resignations of the 80 Congress legislators who have also put in their papers," said a TDP leader.

TDP legislators from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions met on Monday to plan their protest programme. Speaking after the meeting, TDP MLA P Keshav said they had asked the Congress ministers and legislators to quit their positions to fight for an integrated Andhra Pradesh.

Thanksgiving meeting

Congress ministers, legislators and other leaders from Telangana region have decided to organise a meeting in the city on Wednesday to thank Congress president Sonia Gandhi for her decision in favor of Telangana.

Former home minister K Jana Reddy said the party was grateful to Sonia Gandhi for keeping the promise she had made to the people of Telangana. The ministers appealed to the central government to initiate the process of the formation of Telangana state at the earliest.