Telangana row: 11 ministers resign from Andhra Pradesh cabinet

HYDERABAD: Eleven out of 15 ministers of Andhra Pradesh cabinet hailing from Telangana region on Monday resigned from their posts as well as membership of the legislative assembly on separate statehood issue but maintained that it was "not to defy" Congress high command.

After submitting their resignation from assembly membership to Deputy Speaker Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, a group of ministers drove to Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy's camp office and put in their papars.

Four other ministers from Telangana, including Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, chose not to follow in the footsteps of their colleagues.

Five ministers Jana Reddy, J Geeta Reddy, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Komatireddi Venkat Reddy and Basavaraj Saraiah came in person to the Assembly building to submit their papers to the Deputy Speaker. Saraiah carried the resignation letters of six of his colleagues to the Deputy Speaker.

"Our resignations are neither to defy the Congress high command nor to create political or constitutional crisis in the state. "They are meant only to convey the strong aspirations of Telangana people to the Congress high command as well as the Centre," senior minister K Jana Reddy told reporters before leaving for New Delhi to confer with AICC leaders.

The legislators from Telangana were quitting their posts only under "inevitable" circumstances to find a solution to the statehood crisis, he said.

Jana Reddy demanded that the Centre immediately begin the process of creating Telangana state in accordance with its statement made on December 9, 2009.

"As true Congress workers, we all would now work towards strengthening the party in the region as well as the leadership of Sonia Gandhi," he said.

After a meeting with the Chief Minister, Minister Sunita Laxma Reddy said they had explained the compulsions under which the ministers had to quit their posts.