TRS toying with idea to advance resignation deadline

Hyderabad, Feb 11 (UNI) The Opposition Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) is considering advancing the deadline for submission of the resignation of its MPs, MLAs and MLCs, even as Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker K R Suresh Reddy today made it clear that he would accept the resignation of any member if he was convinced that the same was not made under any compulsion.

TRS Legislators, including former ministers N Narasimha Reddy and T Harish Rao, and TRS Floor Leader G Vijayarama Rao had a meeting with party President K Chandrasekar Rao and reviewed the political situation prevailing in Telangana in the wake of the ultimatum set by the party to the ruling Congress leaders from the Telangana region to either convince UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to grant Statehood to Telangana by March 6 or join them in submitting their resignation from the post.

Talking to reporters here, Mr Narasimha Reddy said ''we want to step up pressure on the Congress leaders from the Telangana region and thinking of advancing the deadline.'' Meanwhile, talking to reporters at a meet-the-press programme, the Speaker said due procedure would be followed. First of all, he should be convinced that a particular member had not made the resignation ''under duress''. Personal appearance of the member concerned was needed to ascertain this, he added.

It may be recalled that Mr Chandrasekar Rao, forcing a byelection to the Lok Sabha by resigning his Karimnagar seat, had retained the seat with a thumping majority in the bypoll last year, riding on the Telangana sentiment.

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