Governor accepts TRS ministers' resignations

The resignations of six Telengana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) ministers, who resigned from the YS Rajasekhara Reddy-led Congress government in Andhra Pradesh, have been accepted by Governor Sushilkumar Shinde.

The resignations had been accepted with effect from yesterday, a Raj Bhavan release said in here.

The six ministers whose resignation were accepted are -- Minor Irrigation Minister A Chandra Sekhar, Youth Affairs Minister T Harish Rao, Backward Classes Welfare Minister V Lakshmikantha Rao, Food and Civil Supplies Minister G Vijayarama Rao, Technical Education Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy and Transport Minister S Santosh Reddy.

Protesting the "anti-Telengana" stand of the Congress government in the state, five of them had submitted their resignations on July 4 while Santosh Reddy submitted his resignation on July 13. The resignations were forwarded to the governor last evening by the chief minister.

According to political analysts, it could be the beginning of the end of the Congress-TRS alliance both in Andhra Pradesh and at the Centre.

The acceptance of the resignation has ended the speculation over a possible rapprochement between the Congress and the TRS, and the efforts to effect a patch-up between its state unit and TRS have come to a naught, indicating that relations between the two pre-poll allies have soured further.

Reddy, who is under attack from his estranged ally for adopting "anti-Telangana policy", forwarded his acceptance to Governor Sushilkumar Shinde.

Five TRS ministers Vijayarama Rao, Capt Lakshmikanta Rao, A Chandrasekhara, N Narasimha Reddy and Harish Rao had resigned on July 4 protesting delay in the process for formation of a Telangana state while another TRS Minister S Santhosh Reddy put in his paper on July 14.

With this, efforts by the Congress high command for a patch-up between its state unit and TRS have come to a naught, indicating that relations between the two pre-poll allies have soured further.

In fact the central government under the stewardship of Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee had formed a committee to look into the demand for statehood. Reports that the committee had recommended that a second state reorganisation committee be formed had further soured relationships within the alliance.

The chief minister's decision comes in the midst of TRS gearing up for its public meeting at Warangal on July 18 where the sub regional party is expected to launch an all out attack on the Congress government for the alleged neglect of Telangana region.

The Congress party MLAs have meanwhile asked the Centre to grant at least Rs 2800 crore for the development of the region, in order to undermine the TRS.

While pulling out of the Congress-led government in the state, the TRS, which had two ministers in the central Cabinet, continues to support the UPA government, apparently to mount pressure on the Congress leadership to grant statehood for Telangana.