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Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP N Harikrishna, son of late N T Rama Rao, today resigned from the Rajya Sabha in protest against the decision to carve out a separate Telangana state by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh.
Harikrishna, 57, met Rajya Sabha Chairman M Hamid Ansari this morning and submitted his resignation.
"I have to inform the House that Chairman has received a letter of resignation from Rajya Sabha member from Andhra Pradesh N Harikrishna. His resignation has been accepted with effect from August 22," Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said.
Earlier, Harikrishna alleged that the Government had decided to bifurcate the state to reap political benefits in favour of the Congress in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
"By this decision, they (Congress) killed the Telugu spirit. They did it to make Rahul Gandhi next Prime Minister after the Lok Sabha polls," he told PTI.
Invoking NTR, Harikrishna said, "During his time, my father stood firmly for the cause of united Andhra Pradesh. Now it is shattered. My conscious would not allow me to continue (as Rajya Sabha MP)."
When Kurien made the announcement in the Rajya Sabha, Harikrishna's two party colleagues, Y Satyanarayana Chowdary and CM Ramesh, who were in the Well demanding a discussion on Andhra Pradesh bifurcation, created uproar.
Both had rushed to the Well as soon as External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid rose to reply to the Calling Attention Motion on Sri Lanka issue.
