Seema, Andhra MLAs quit, call 96-hr bandh

Dec. 10: The Centre’s decision to form a separate Telangana triggered a fresh round of political turmoil in the state on Thursday with 96 MLAs belonging to the Congress, the Telugu Desam and Praja Rajyam submitting their resignations in protest and violence breaking out in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema.

MPs including Mr Lagadapati Rajagopal of Vijayawada, Mr Kotla Jaya Surya Prakash Reddy of Kurnool, Mr A. Anantha Venkata Rami Reddy of Anantapur and the TD Rajya Sabha, Dr M. V. Mysoora Reddy also put in their papers expressing outrage.

Further, about 43 MLCs belong to the Congress and the TD also submitted their resignations. Though relative normalcy prevailed in Telangana districts, several violent incidents were reported from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. Agitators have called for a 96-hour bandh in these areas in protest against the Centre’s decision.

Tension prevailed in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Raj-ahmundry, Bhimavaram, Anantapur, Kadapa, Chittoor, Tirupati and other places and around 20 students of Andhra University announced a fast-unto-death agitation from Friday, while their comrades burned the effigies of the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, and the Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu.

The resignations of the MLAs came as soon as the Assembly met at 9 am on Thursday. The mood was restive and members cutting across party lines were huddled in groups even as MLAs from Telangana were distributing sweets and exchanging greetings. The former ministers, Mr J.C. Diwakara Reddy and Mr D.L. Ravindra Reddy, mooted the proposal of submitting resignations en- masse to the Speaker so that the Congress high comma-nd will withdraw its decision. Both of them rushed to the Speaker’s chamber and put in their papers. They were followed by the MLAs of the Congress, TD and the PR. In fact, the TD MLAs did not even bother to inform the party chief of their decision to quit.

The resignation letters of most of the MLAs were similar and stated that people do not want bifurcation and that they were quitting was a gesture of solidarity with them.

Meanwhile, two TD MLAs from Chittoor district, Gali Muddu Krishnama Naidu and Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy, submitted their resignation letters to Mr Naidu. Both the MLAs feared that in case they submit their papers to the Speaker, he might accept them to settle political scores at the local level.

Meanwhile, the Speaker told mediapersons in the evening that 96 MLAs had resigned so far including 56 from Congress, 29 from Telugu Desam and 11 from the PR. He said he would hold consultations with each of them. The Speaker denied repo-rts that he had also resi-gned. “Why should I resign and what for?” he asked.