Keshav Rao resigns from Rajya Sabha

New Delhi, Jul 4: Senior Congress leader K Keshav Rao today (Jul 4) resigned from Rajya Sabha in protest against the Centre's "delay" in the formation of a separate Telangana state.

Rao, Rajya Sabha member from Andhra Pradesh, met the Officer on Special Duty to the Upper House Chairman Hamid Ansari this morning and submitted his resignation.

Rao is in the forefront of the Telangana agitation and had on July 1 threatened to resign as Rajya Sabha member to protest the Centre's delay.

"Due to delay in the process of formation of a Telangana state, the people of the region are in a state of deep anguish," Rao had said in a joint statement here on Saturday.

Eight Lok Sabha members from the state are expected to resign this evening during their scheduled meeting with Speaker Meira Kumar.

The joint statement said despite the Centre's statement on December 9, 2009 that steps would be initiated to form a separate Telangana state, the process was stalled by lawmakers from Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions in the state.

PTI