Telangana: Cong MPs threaten to send resignations

Congress MPs from Telangana have threatened to send their resignations to Speaker Meira Kumar if urgent steps were not taken for formation of a separate state.

"It was our collective decision to resign. Seven of us, including Madhu Goud Yakshi, who later said there was no need to resign, had signed this letter after a thorough discussion on the issue for two days," one of the signatories, Sukhender Reddy, told PTI.

"We will continue with our protest and send resignation to Speaker as well, if a decision is not taken for creation of Telangana," Reddy said.

The remarks came a day after seven party MPs -- Manda Jagannatam, Ponnam Prabhakar, S Rajaiah, Vivek Reddy, Sukhender Reddy, Rajgopal Reddy and Nizamabad MP Madhu Goud Yaskhi -- submitted a joint resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

However, after party spokesperson P C Chacko's statement that Congress was not against the creation of Telangana and that it's only a question of time when the decision will be announced, Yakshi on Wednesday told reporters that he did not see any need for resignation after Chacko's statement.

"I don't think there is any need for resignation now. Chacko's statement is clear," Yaskhi, one of those at the forefront of the agitation for a separate state, said.

Rajaiah, however, said there was no question of a compromise on Telangana statehood issue and "a compromise can happen only if a positive roadmap is given for its creation."

He said the decision to resign was taken after two days of deliberations among the MPs at Warangal.

Asked about Yakshi's statement, he said that it must be an afterthought as the MP had also signed the resignation letter earlier.

Both Sukhender Reddy and Rajaiah at the same said that Yakshi was free to take his own decision in the matter.

In the letter to Gandhi, the MPs had drawn the attention of the party leadership towards the critical situation in the region and continuing suicides, and said it would be difficult for them to continue in the party in such a situation.