On Thursday, IT Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and 63 legislators had resigned
The political crisis in Andhra Pradesh over the Centre’s decision to carve out a separate Telangana state, followed by a freeze, deepened further today, with 12 out of the 13 ministers from the region sending their resignation letters to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy was among them.
The development follows Thursday’s resignation of information technology minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, and 63 legislators across political parties.
“We are pained at the Centre’s announcement, which did not include a time-bound programme for forming a Telangana state,” Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Laxmaiah said, while speaking on behalf of the ministers who had resigned.
He said that the issue of ministers’ resignation was brought to the notice of Chief Minister K Rosaiah and state Congress committee chief D Srinivas. They would also seek time and meet Sonia Gandhi to present their stand on the Telangana issue.
Ironically, what happened today was a repeat of the development a fortnight ago, when 20 ministers from the coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions threatened to resign over the Telangana statehood issue.
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Meanwhile, Chandrababu Naidu, president of the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), said it was for the Congress to resolve the current imbroglio. “Telangana is a sensitive issue, which has been made complicated by the Congress. Hence, it should be resolved by Congress,” he said.
Condemning the attack on his party legislators at the Osmania University campus on Thursday, the TDP chief said it was part of a conspiracy by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). He warned that his party cadre would not keep quiet if the ongoing turmoil was utilised by some people to destroy private property or “settle personal scores”.
In the light of Thursday’s incidents, TDP legislators have also declined to join the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of people’s representatives belonging to various parties, including the Congress, TRS and Telangana Praja Rajyam party. They held a separate meeting today and decided to continue their agitation for the next three days.
On the other hand, the JAC urged all political parties to join hands for achieving separate statehood for Telangana.