Five more TRS legislators resign

Fearing disqualification, five more rebel legislators of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti resigned from the Andhra Pradesh assembly and decided to join the ruling Congress party.

Fearing disqualification, five more rebel legislators of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) on Sunday resigned from the Andhra Pradesh assembly and decided to join the ruling Congress party.

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Four legislators - S Santosh Reddy, G Mukunda Reddy, K Lingaiah and Shara Rani - met Speaker KR Suresh Reddy and submitted their resignations. Another legislator, Narayanrao Patel, faxed his resignation to the speaker.

Two legislators, D Srinivasa Rao and T Jayaprakash Reddy, Saturday announced their decision to resign as legislators.

The speaker, however, said he would take a decision on the resignations on Monday.

The action of the rebel legislators came after the speaker told reporters on Saturday that he would soon announce his verdict about the 10 rebel legislators whose disqualification was sought by the TRS last year for defying the party whip and voting for an Independent candidate in the state legislative council elections.

The remaining three legislators are also likely to quit their seats and join the Congress. They had raised the banner of revolt against the style of functioning of party president K Chandrasekhara Rao.

The TRS, which is fighting for separate statehood to Telangana region, had won 26 assembly seats in 2004 elections.

The speaker is to announce his verdict on the TRS petition for disqualification of rebels on Monday.

Meanwhile, the TRS has urged the speaker not to accept the resignations of the rebel legislators.

Party leader and legislator T Harish Rao said the rebels had resigned fearing disqualification. "The speaker should uphold the honour of his post by not accepting their resignations," he said.