Seemandhra MPs to submit resignations again after rejection

Congress MPs from Seemandhra region, whose resignations were Friday rejected by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, plan to again submit their resignations.

A. Sai Prathap of the Congress said the MPs would meet in a couple of days to take a decision on submitting the resignation letters in "speaker format".

"We will once again submit our resignations and if the speaker again rejects them, we will vote against Telangana bill in parliament," he said. Another Congressman M. Sreenivasalu Reddy said they still stand by the people of Seemandhra opposing the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

Another MP L. Rajagopal, who recently moved the Delhi High Court seeking a direction to the speaker to accept his resignation, said he would again meet the speaker on Monday to submit a fresh resignation letter.

He said the speaker appeared to have rejected the resignations on the ground that they were submitted on an emotional basis.

The speaker rejected the resignation of 13 MPs, including 10 from Congress party. Two MPs are from YSR Congress Party and one from Telugu Desam Party.

According to the statement from the speaker's office: "No resignation has been accepted".

The MPs whose resignations were rejected are: G.V. Harsha Kumar, K. Bapiraju, R. Sambasiva Rao, M. Sreenivasalu Reddy, S.P.Y. Reddy, A. Sai Prathap, L. Rajagopal, A. Venkatarami Reddy, V. Arun Kumar and Sabbam Hari (all Congress), Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy  and Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy (both YSRCP) and K. Narayana (TDP).

Seven of them had personally appeared before the speaker, urging her to accept the resignations.

Meanwhile, Rajamohan Reddy said they had submitted the resignations in "speaker format". He said he was not aware of the reasons for the speaker rejecting the resignations.

He said the party would discuss and take a decision on whether to challenge the speaker's action in court.