Congress insists on acceptance of rebel MLAs' resignations

A day after accepting their resignation from the party's primary membership, the Congress party on Friday intensified efforts to ensure that the Speaker Nadendla Manohar accepts their resignations from the assembly membership.

Government Whip Kondru Murali on Friday met the Speaker N Manohar at his chambers requesting him to take severe action all 29 MLAs who have switched loyalties to the YSR Congress party. He informed the Speaker that the Congress party has already accepted the MLAs' resignation from the primary membership. Therefore, technically, 26 Congress MLAs are not the members of Congress Legislature Party anymore.

Kondru Murali's briefing appears to have clarified lot of things for the Speaker. The Congress tried to convince the Speaker that unlinke the Telangana MLAs whose resignations were rejected on the grounds that those who resigned were 'emotionally surcharged', these 29 rebels have lot of other reasons including 'political blackmail' that led them to sumbit their resignations.

Later talking to reporters, Murali said that the Congress was ready for by-polls in case the Speaker accepts the resignation of 29 MLAs. He said most of the MLAs who have resigned in favour of Jagan Mohan Reddy are now regretting their decision and wants to come back to the Congress party. He asked those rebel MLAs to meet the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy or PCC chief Botsa Narayana and they might reconsider taking them back into the Congress.

Specifically mentioning about the rebel MLAs - K Bharati and Krishna Das of Srikakulam district, Murali said both will lose their deposits. He said the Congress was fully prepared for by-polls which would be fought on the slogan of corruption.