TDP MLA resigns, joins TRS

Hyderabad, September 29: The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has received another setback with one of its legislators resigning from the party and joining the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which is leading the movement for statehood to Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh.

Gampa Goverdhan, who represents Kamareddy assembly constituency in Nizamabad district, told reporters Thursday that he has sent his resignation to TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu.

The legislator, who accused the TDP of not taking a clear stand in favour of a separate Telangana state, had last week sent his resignation as member of Assembly to the Speaker.

“Respecting the sentiments of the people of my constituency and the entire Telangana, I have resigned from the TDP and decided to join TRS,” he told a news conference.

Goverdhan is the seventh TDP legislator to quit the party since last year to protest the party’s ambiguous stand on Telangana.

While four legislators, including senior leader Janardhana Reddy, plan to float a separate outfit, three others have joined the TRS.

Thirty two TDP legislators from Telangana had Wednesday submitted their resignations as members of assembly to press the demand for a separate Telangana state. They left in a convoy for Banswada Thursday to demand that the TRS and Congress boycott the byelection there to send a strong signal to the centre.

-IANS