TRS chief announces resignation from LS

Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) supremo K Chandrasekhara Rao today announced his resignation from the Lok Sabha in response to the challenge thrown by the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president, besides a senior Cabinet member in the YS Rajasekhara Reddy government, to fight the election afresh.

Announcing his decision at a press conference, Rao, who represents the Karimnagar parliamentary constituency in the Lok Sabha, came down heavily on a section of Congressmen including PCC President K Keshava Rao, stating that they were trying to distract the attention of the people of Telangana from the Congress party's betrayal act by personally targeting him.

"Instead of answering to the people about their actions with regard to the demand for a separate statehood in the past couple of years, the Congress leaders have begun targeting me with their silly accusations. The PCC president wants me to resign as the Lok Sabha member before talking about anything in regard to the Telangana issue. I am sending my resignation letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker. I will prove once again that the people of Telangana have solidly stood on our side," he said.

The PCC president, who had supported the minister's demand for Rao's resignation, however, on Tuesday dissociated himself from the development stating that Rao's decision was purely personal.

The state minister, M Satynanarayana Rao, who earlier said he would resign from the post if Rao quit from the Lok Sabha membership, now says that he would take a decision only in the event of TRS chief fighting the by-election in the coming days.

The state Congress leadership has mounted an offensive on Chandrasekhara Rao after the TRS president unleashed an anti-Congress campaign through a recent rally at Siddipet.