Keen to ensure that they are not seen to be lagging behind in the fight for Telangana, Telugu Desam Party Legislators on Friday indicated that they would follow the lead taken by their Congress counterparts from the region, and submit their resignations from their elected posts to further take the separate statehood demand forward.
TDP MLAs from the region Jaipal Yadav and Hanumanth Shinde told media persons at the Telugu Desam Legislature Party office that the T TDP Forum Legislators would also submit their resignations to Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar on July 4, after paying rich floral tributes to Telangana Martyrs Memorial at Gun Park. However, the TDP MLAs did not spare the occasion to hint that the Congress Legislators may backtrack on their promise, by saying that they should remain firm on their decision. “We urge the Congress leaders not to backtrack on their decision but remain steadfast,” the TDP MLAs said. “We further appeal to the leaders from Telangana not to contest the elections until the Centre announces the separate state,” they added. Earlier in the day, the Congress Legislators had announced that they would submit their resignations to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and AP Legislative Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar on July 4. The TDP MLAs also revealed that the decision to follow the Congress Legislators’ example was taken by them on behalf of the Telugu Desam Party Telangana Forum. They also revealed that the party’s leaders from Telangana would meet on July 3 to chalk out their future course of action on the Telangana state formation. The MLAs further said that the TDP Telangana Forum has consistently asked all parties to join hands to achieve the separate statehood. “Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu had never objected to us submitting our resignations. In fact, he has always advised us to fulfil the aspirations of people,” the MLAs said. Meanwhile, TTDP Forum convener Errabelli Dayakar Rao also hailed the Telangana Congress leaders’ decision to submit their resignations from their elected posts for the cause of Telangana.