Accept resignation rather than disqualifying me: Pocharam

Banswada Mla Pocharam Srinivas on Monday told Deputy Speaker Nadendla Manohar to accept his resignation instead of disqualifying him from the state Assembly.

Mr Srinivas told media persons at the Assembly premises after meeting Mr Manohar that he had urged the Deputy Speaker to accept his resignation from the Membership of the Assembly, instead of disqualifying him, as demanded by the Telugu Desam Party on whose ticket he was elected.

The meeting came in response to the notices issued by the Deputy Speaker to Mr Srinivas after the Telugu Desam Party had sought his disqualification under the Anti-Defection Law.

The Banswada Mla revealed that that he had told Mr Manohar that he had resigned after becoming frustrated over the ambivalent stance adopted by TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu on the separate Telangana statehood demand.

He disclosed that he had told the Deputy Speaker that his resignation was an expression of his support to the Telangana demand and a symbolic support to the students who were agitating for the cause.

“My resignation is an expression of my feelings for Telangana. I do not care about remaining an MLA. I had resigned after students were committing suicides for the separate statehood cause. My resignation is an attempt to send a message to these students that they are not alone and there is no reason for them to resort to the extreme step,” Mr Srinivas said.