Jagan Mohan Reddy claimed 29 legislators and two Lok Sabha MPs belonging to Congress and PRP would submit their resignations from the respective offices on Monday, protesting inclusion of former CM late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s name in the FIR filed by the CBI probing his assets.
Jagan’s move is unlikely to threaten the Kiran Kumar Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh as the strength of the ruling party went up to 171 after Chiranjeevi’s PRP with 17 MLAs merged with Congress on Saturday. The AP legislative assembly has 294 legislators.
“If more than 30 MLAs resign, the Congress government can be in trouble. Though TDP may tacitly support the government, because Chandrababu Naidu sees a bigger threat in Jagan than Kiran. Also when the country is witnessing Anna wave, he will not side with MLAs who are quitting because their godfather has been targeted for corruption,” a political analyst said.
The decision to resign was announced by former minister Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose after an emergency meeting of MLAs, MLCs and an MP at Jagan’s residence on Sunday. It was decided that forcing a political crisis was the way out to prevent the alleged “witchhunt” unleashed by Congress and the CBI.
MLC Jupudi Prabhakar Rao said, “We are trying to enlist the support of more MLAs. Another 25 to 30 MLAs will join us in tendering their resignations on Monday. Several of them are in touch with us. People are unhappy with the present government as it has insulted YSR, who was instrumental in bringing back the party to power in the state. In the next week, this government will fall on its own.”
Jagan camp MLAs said they would call on assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar at his office on Monday and insist for immediate approval of their resignations.
State Congress president Botsa Satyanarayana urged MLAs not to fall prey to Jagan’s conspiracy. “Why is he shying away from a CBI probe? Let him prove his innocence. I, too, was questioned by the CBI in the Volkswagen scam and have come out clean. Why should he feel afraid when his conscious is clear? MLAs are answerable to people. I urge MLAs to avoid getting a bad name for themselves,” he said. The FIR filed by the CBI last week had suggested a nexus between YSR and Jagan that led to wrongdoings in allotment of land as a quid pro quo for companies investing in the latter’s firms.
———————————Times of India———————-