5 MLAs Resign As Protest Against Telangana

Now that the collective dream for a separate Telangana state has almost been culminated (keeping mere fomalities like the Bill aside, that is) the wave of opposition against the decision has started rearing its head. Describing the Congress' decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh as being "unilateral", Congress Guntur MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao and three other MLAs from the party have submitted their resignations.

As the celebrations started yesterday after it was announced that Telangana would be the 29th state in India, quite a few leaders have expressed their dissatisfaction with this turn of events.

It is a fact, well-known, that the CM, N Kiran Kumar Reddy, was himself not in favour of the formation of Telangana, and had reportedly even submitted his resignation in protest against the Centre's decision. Rayapati is one amongst the many others who apparently feel that the state should have stayed in one piece.

Rayapati sent his resignation letter via fax as he is currently in the US for a medical check-up. The letter, in its proper format is expected to be submitted to the Lok Sabha speaker by Wednesday.

Apart from Rayapati, Mummidivaram MLA P Satish Kumar, Jammalamdugu MLA C. Adinarayana Reddy, Ramachandrapuram MLA Thota Thrimurthulu, and Hindupur MLA Abdul Ghani have also tendered in their resignations.

Meanwhile, Rayapati announced that he's not only resigning from the Assembly, but also from his party.

Earlier PCC spokeperson N Tulasi Reddy had also submitted his resignation in protest against the formation of a separate Telangana state, saying that the Centre's decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh is one that would "pain the late soul of Indira Gandhi".