MLAs from Telangana to Quit as Deadline for Announcement Ends

With deadline given by the all-party Joint Action Committee (JAC) to the Centre for making an announcement on Telangana ending today, the MLAs belonging to all the parties except ruling Congress are set to step down on Friday, reported IANS.

However, leaders of the Congress from Telangana still hope that the central government would announce a time-bound programme for creation of Telangana in next 24 hours, report said.

Though Congress leaders from Telangana are camping in Delhi, the JAC has decided to execute its threat of en mass resignation if the Centre failed to make an announcement by Thursday evening, report said.

In an emergency meeting late Wednesday night, JAC decided that all MLAs would  go to the assembly speaker’s office in a procession and press for the acceptance of their resignations submitted last month.

As many as 77 out of 119 Members of the Legislative Assembly from Telangana had submitted their resignations last month to protest the central government’s attempt to put the formation of separate state in cold storage. They included 22 out of 50 legislators of the Congress party.

Report said that legislators from TDP and other parties wanted to create a constitutional crisis to force the central government to make a statement, but the Congress leaders were reluctant to put their own government in trouble.

However, TRS president K Chandrasekhara Rao told reporters that Congress legislators would join them Friday if the central government failed to make an announcement, said report.

The JAC, which is demanding the central government announce a time-bound programme to initiate the process for formation of the Telangana state out of Andhra Pradesh, is set to hold a crucial meeting on Thursday evening to finalise its course of action.

Congress leaders, who stayed away from Wednesday night’s meeting, are likely to attend this meeting.