AP Speaker rejects resignations of Telangana MLAs

Hyderabad, Jul 23 (PTI) Putting an end to the 20-day-old
political drama, south Indian state Andhra Pradesh Assembly
Speaker Nadendla Manohar Saturday night rejected the
resignation of 101 Telangana MLAs, cutting across party lines,
saying they were submitted in "a fit of emotion".
The Telangana legislators decried the rejection of their
resignations and dubbed the Speaker's act as "undemocratic".
In all, 101 Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from
Telangana region, including 12 ministers of the state cabinet,
had submitted their resignation en masse on July 4 and 5
demanding that the Central government immediately create
Telangana state.
The Speaker's decision came shortly before his departure
for London to take part in the Commonwealth Speakers'
Conference, sources in his office said.
Stung by the Speaker's decision, the Telangana Rashtra
Samiti announced that its 11 MLAs would submit resignations
afresh tomorrow, while the Telugu Desam Party Telangana Forum
convened an emergency meeting at 11 am to take the next step.
Maintaining that their resignations were not tendered in
an emotion, the Congress legislators vowed to get them
accepted.
The Speaker had earlier said that he would take a
decision on the issue after talking to all concerned,
including his predecessors. Manohar had also said he would go
by the decision of Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar who was also
dealing with the resignation of 13 Member of Parliaments (MPs)
on the same issue.
All the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLAs, including the one
suspended, had met the Speaker and pressed for acceptance of
their resignations.
Barring the TDP, no other party legislators met the
Speaker in the last week when he was here.
The Speaker believed to have noted that he was rejecting
the resignations after examining them from all angles and
ascertaining the circumstances in which they were tendered.
"Resignations submitted in an emotion cannot be
accepted," Manohar reportedly noted.