In a new twist to the row over demand for Telangana statehood, MLAs and MLCs of various parties submitted their resignations on Monday, protesting the proposed division of the state and to counter the efforts of the Telangana Congress leaders who can work for the separation at home and in Delhi.

At an all-party meeting in Kadapa organised by the Samaikyandhra joint action committee (JAC) in which several Congress, TDP and YSR Congress leaders participated, three MLAs and two MLCs resigned to their posts. MLAs Adinarayana Reddy of Congress, Srikant Reddy and Srinivasulu of YSRC and MLCs Narayana Reddy and Pullayya of YSRC submitted their resignation letters, addressed to the Speaker, to the JAC convener Chandrasekhar Reddy.

Several other leaders also said they were ready to forsake their posts to keep the state united. The meeting resolved to launch an agitation for united Andhra Pradesh. It was also decided that they should take the fight to Delhi and hold demonstrations in front of the residence of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Speaking to the media, Srikant Reddy said the leaders submitted their resignations to protest the proposal to divide Rayalaseema. He said no one had the right to divide Rayalaseema. “TDP leader Linga Reddy has also promised to resign if Rayalaseema was to be divided. The Congress high command is creating confusion in the name of state division,” he added.

Meanwhile, Congress leaders in New Delhi stepped up their efforts to find a solution to the Telangana issue. On Saturday, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh called on party president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi and is believed to have briefed them about his visit to Andhra Pradesh this week, during which he heard the views of the leaders of the state’s three regions.

The Congress core committee, at its meeting slated for July 12, is likely to deliberate on the issue and take a final decision, party sources said.

Digvijay Singh has already asked Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha and state Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana to submit a roadmap on the strategy to be adopted by the government and the party if and when the decision is taken either way.

Leaders from Rayalaseema, who met both Digvijay Singh and Satyanarayana, made it clear that the state should not be divided and if the division becomes inevitable, their region should also be given separate statehood.

Minister of State for Railways Kotla Surya Praskash Reddy said two more districts should be merged with the four districts of Rayalaseema to create Greater Rayalaseema.

Congress MP Sai Pratap also conveyed to Digvijay Singh that the state’s division would not be acceptable if the interests of Rayalaseema region were not taken care of.

Protests continued in parts of Rayalaseema. Demonstrations were held in Anantapur and in Tirupati students took out a rally demanding that the state should remain united.

Rayalaseema Parirakshana Samithi founder Byreddy Rajasekhara Reddy concluded his 52-hour-long fast, demanding separate state of Rayalaseema here at Indira Park. He warned of serious consequences if the backward region was ignored while creating a separate Telangana state.