Jagan camp Congress MLAs to resign today

The ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh received a jolt after 27 party MLAs and two MPs loyal to YSR Congress president Jaganmohan Reddy decided to resign on Monday to protest the CBI raids on his house and offices in a disproportionate assets case. Ashok Das reports.

The ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh received a jolt after 27 party MLAs and two MPs loyal to YSR Congress president Jaganmohan Reddy decided to resign on Monday to protest the CBI raids on his house and offices in a disproportionate assets case.

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The CBI's decision to name Jaganmohan's father and former chief minister, the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR), as a co-conspirator in its FIR in the case fuelled the move.

"We are pained over the inclusion of YSR's name in the FIR, and in protest we all are resigning," Congress MP Rajmohan Reddy said after a meeting of Jaganmohan supporters on Sunday. Sabbam Hari is the other MP who has decided to resign.

The two MPs are expected to submit their resignations to Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar. Jaganmohan is also a Lok Sabha MP (from Kadapa), but the party is silent on whether he will resign.

Another Jaganmohan follower, MLA P Subash Chandra Bose, said the MLAs would meet assembly speaker Nadendla Manohar at 11am and hand over their resignation letters.

Backing Jaganmohan, two rebel Telugu Desam Party MLAs have also decided to resign.

The Jaganmohan camp, however, is aware the resignations will not destabilise the state government.

After the Praja Rajyam Party merged with it on Saturday, the Congress has a strength of 173 in the 294-member (one seat is vacant) assembly.

The party also enjoys support of three independents and seven Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MLAs.

State Congress president Botsa Satyanarayana warned party legislators of consequences if they aligned with Jaganmohan.