AP speaker rejects resignations of 61 lawmakers

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh assembly Speaker N. Manohar Monday accepted resignations of four lawmakers from the Telangana region but rejected resignations of 61 other legislators, including those belonging to the ruling Congress but loyal to the YSR Congress party.The speaker accepted resignations of three legislators of the Congress and one of the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), all of them from the Telangana region, who quit their respective parties to join the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).The legislators whose resignations were accepted include former minister J. Krishna Rao, G. Goverdhan and T. Rajaiah, who quit the Congress to join the TRS early this month. The resignation of TDP’s Jogu Ramanna, who switched loyalty to the TRS, was also accepted.In a decision, which is likely to trigger uproar during the winter session beginning Dec 1, the speaker rejected resignations of 61 others but did not take any decision on the resignations of 14 others.A total of 81 lawmakers belonging to the Congress, the TDP and the TRS submitted their resignations for various reasons during the last three months.In all, 53 lawmakers from the Telangana region, including 32 of the TDP, 12 of the TRS and four of the Congress, had submitted their resignations demanding separate statehood to the region.Twenty-eight other lawmakers, including 26 of ruling party and loyal to Jaganmohan Reddy, quit protesting the attempts to link late chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy to alleged irregularities in land allotments by his government.The speaker accepted the resignations of two rebel legislators of the TDP Nov 12 from the 294-member assembly.While N. Janardhana Reddy had resigned on the Telangana issue, Prasanna Kumar Reddy had joined Jaganmohan Reddy’s group.

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