K. Chandrasekhara Rao quits as TRS chief

Hyderabad, June 19 (ANI): Faced with several senior party leaders revolting against him and holding him responsible for the poll debacle during Lok Sabha elections, Telangana Rashtra Samiti President K Chandrasekhara Rao resigned as party chief on Friday.

The resignation is likely to worsen the turmoil already being faced by the Telangana Rashtra Samiti since poor show during Lok Sabha polls

Party general secretary Madhusudhana Chary said Rao had sent in his resignation but it was yet to be accepted by the party's executive committee.

A section of the rebel leaders have allegedly made allegations on Rao that he has turned the party into a family concern by giving tickets to his son and nephew.

"I am pained over the way my family has been targeted in the recent days," K. Chandrasekhara Rao said adding that he would like to continue as an ordinary party worker and continue to work for the cause of separate Telangana state.

Also, a group of rebel TRS leaders launched a new non-political organisation-Telangana Vimocana Samiti-to continue the struggle.

He alleged that some anti-Telangana forces had conspired to damage and weaken the TRS.

Rao, who after quitting the Telugu Desam Party had launched TRS and movement for Telangana state has resigned many times earlier from different positions.

He resigned twice as the member of Parliament and won in by-elections from Karimnagar. This time he however moved to the Mahbubnagar Lok Sabha constituency which he won by a margin of 19,000 votes.

Earlier on June 3, 2008, KCR had resigned as the party president accepting the moral responsibility for the party's defeat in the by elections following the enmass resignation of the TRS MPs and MLAs.

In 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Rao and the film actress Vijayshanti were the only two TRS candidates to be elected to the Lok Sabha. (ANI)