KCR announces resignation from LS, MSR sets conditions

Hyderabad, Sep 12 (UNI) In a bid to intensify the campaign for separate Telangana, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) President K Chandrasekhara Rao today announced his resignation from the Lok Sabha.

Senior Congress leader and Andhra Pradesh Sports Minister M Satyanarayana Rao, who urged the TRS chief to resign his seat and had claimed that he too would follow suit and take on Mr Chandrasekhara Rao in an electoral battle, today specified the conditions for his own resignation.

On a day of dramatic developments, Mr Chandrasekhara Rao, who had resigned from the Manmohan Singh cabinet along with his deputy A Narendra, said at a crowded press conference he was resigning his Lok Sabha seat after Pradesh Congress Chief K Keshava Rao backed Mr Satyanarayana Rao.

Mr Kesava Rao, however, described it as a ''personal challenge''.

Soon after, TRS functionaries faxed the resignation letter to Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and then sent it by speed post after the Speaker's office said it would not consider resignation by fax.

As for Mr Satyanarayana Rao, at a hurried press conference, he asked the TRS chief to accept his condition that the latter should quit politics and stop espousing the cause of Telangana if he was defeated in the prospective election.

In New Delhi, however, the Congress struck a different note with spokesperson Abishek Manu Singhvi appealing to the TRS chief to reconsider his decision to resign from the Lok Sabha.

Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy kept his comments guarded, stating he wanted to ascertain whether the TRS was still with the United Progressive Alliance at the Centre, before reacting to the development. He would only respond to questions with 'let us see'.

Telugu Desam President Chandrababu Naidu said his party would contest a by-poll for the Karimnagar Lok Sabha seat, held by Mr Chandrasekhara Rao. Mr Naidu said, ''Let the people decide which of the two parties (Congress and TRS), who blame each other, are cheats. Congress owes an explanation on what basis it aligned with the TRS.'' UNI AP/SM AA YA HS2057