Thaindian News

Hyderabad, July 24 (IANS) A day after the Andhra Pradesh assembly speaker rejected the resignations of 101 legislators from Telangana, those belonging to opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Sunday decided to again put in their papers while Congress members will wait for the outcome of Monday’s talks with the central leadership before chalking out their future course of action.

Taking the lead once again, TDP rebel legislators N. Janardhan Reddy, Harishwar Reddy, Venugopala Chary and Jogu Ramana Sunday faxed their esignations to the speaker’s office.

After a meeting of steering committee of Congress leaders, MP G. Sukhender Reddy told reporters that they would take a decision after meeting with party general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad in New Delhi Monday.

Earlier, at a meeting of Telangana TDP Forum, all legislators of the party from the region decided to again submit their resignation. “We have decided to again submit our resignations,” TDP leader E. Dayakar Rao told reporters after the meeting.

All 11 legislators of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) have decided to submit their resignations again but want to wait for Congress and TDP leaders to quit.

In a decision announced Saturday night, Speaker N. Manohar rejected resignations of 101 legislators, who had quit early this month.

In a statement issued from the office of state legislature secretary, the speaker said he was rejecting resignations of all 101 lawmakers from Telangana as they were tendered in an emotionally-charged atmosphere.

Interestingly, the speaker’s decision was announced through the office of the legislature secretary soon after he boarded a flight to London to attend a Commonwealth speakers’ meeting. He is likely to be away till the middle of August.

Manohar’s decision evoked strong reaction from opposition parties and groups fighting for separate statehood to Telangana. The TDP termed it a conspiracy by Congress party while TRS and rebel TDP legislators alleged that leaders from Seemandhra (Rayalaseema and Andhra regions) were behind the conspiracy.

The Congress party leaders went into a huddle to chalk out their future course of action following the speaker’s decision. Divergent views emerged at a meeting held at state minister K. Jana Reddy’s residence. While a section of leaders wanted to submit their resignations again, the others suggested that they should wait for the outcome of talks with the party’s central leadership.

According to Congress party sources, some leaders of the party are ready to wait for two months for a decision by the leadership.

Meanwhile, Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) convenor M. Kodandaram has termed the speaker’s decision as “unconstitutional”. He said it was the speaker and not the legislators who took the decision in an emotionally-charged atmosphere.

The JAC convenor asked all public representatives from Telangana to again submit their resignations. He said the speaker had insulted the people of Telangana through his decision.

TDP rebel leader N. Janardhan Reddy told reporters that he was planning to challenge the speaker’s decision in the Supreme Court. He alleged that the speaker acted as a representative of Seemandhra leaders and himself was afraid of a separate Telangana state becoming a reality.

TRS MP Vijayshanti targetted Congress leaders, saying they were not sincere in achieving the goal of separate state.

The lawmakers who resigned early this month consisted 47 of the ruling Congress, 37 of TDP, 11 of TRS, four of Communist Party of India (CPI) and two of the Bharatiya Janata Pary (BJP).

The Telangana region accounts for 119 seats in the 294-member assembly. The resignations were aimed at creating a constitutional crisis and forcing the central government to take a decision on carving out a separate state.