TDP delegation meets President Pranab Mukherjee over defection issue

NEW DELHI: With Telangana TDP witnessing a series of defections to the ruling TRS, a TDP delegation today called on President Pranab Mukherjee here and sought his intervention to initiate "appropriate action" to uphold the principles of democracy.

In a memorandum submitted to the President, the delegation comprising party MLAs and MPs from Telangana said that three TDP MLAs have switched loyalties to TRS and one among the defectors has been elevated as a minister.

Accusing TRS of "engineering en mass defections" in the Legislative Council from TDP to TRS, the memorandum charged that the Chairman of the Council has declared the five defected MLCs as members of the ruling TRS.

"The state government has high-handedly curbed the freedom of press and preventing the age old facility of holding meets by the legislators in the premises of the Assembly for the past many months," it claimed.

We have made a series of representations to the Governor of the state bringing to his notice above mentioned "omissions and commissions of the government", but in vain, the delegation alleged in the memorandum.

The TDP leaders urged the President to initiate "appropriate action" to uphold the principles of democracy.