Venkat Reddy, Sridhar Babu withdraw resignations

Hyderabad, Jan 12: Stating that they were satisfied with the Centre’s steps to carve out a separate Telangana state, Minister for Information Technology K Venkat Reddy and Minister for Higher Education D Sridhar Babu on Tuesday conveyed their decision to withdraw their resignations to their posts in the Cabinet. Meanwhile, the Legislators have refused to withdraw their resignations by announcing that they will abide by the decision of the all-party Joint Action Committee which is spearheading the separate statehood issue.

The two Ministers withdrew their resignations a day after Congress president D Srinivas asked all the Legislators and Ministers belonging to the Congress party to withdraw their resignations saying they should abide by the High Command’s decision on the issue. After meeting Mr Srinivas the two Ministers said that they were satisfied that the Centre has stood by its Dec 9 statement which said it would initiate the bifurcation of the state.

Of the 13 Ministers from Telangana region who had resigned over the issued, 11 had withdrawn their resignations on Dec 31, while Mr Venkat Reddy and Mr Sridhar Babu had said they would do so only after the centre initiates the process for Telangana state.Meanwhile the Congress party legislators decision of not to withdraw their papers came after they met and decided that they will stick to the JAC’s stand on the issue. The JAC is scheduled to meet later on Tuesday to decide on the further course of action on the issue.