Twelve Congress MLAs meet Telangana Assembly Speaker to join TRS

In more trouble for Congress in Telangana, 12 of its MLAs on Thursday met Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy asought merger of the group with the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

The MLAs met the Speaker at his residence and submitted a memorandum claiming that the decision to merge with the TRS was taken at a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), a claim the state Congress President N Uttam Kumar Reddy rejected.

Reddy said the defector MLAs cannot claim to have convened a Legislature Party meeting without his permission. "The Congress will fight it democratically, we are looking for the Assembly Speaker since morning, he is missing. You people help us in finding him," he said.

He also said the MLAs have been announcing their decision to join the TRS periodically and they should have been disqualified by the Speaker when the Congress filed a disqualification petition against them. The disqualification petititons have been kept pending, he said.

Meanwhile, another party MLA Pilot Rohithreddy from Thandur constituency has resigned from the party and was likely to join the TRS Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao. He was suspended from TRS last year after which he joined the Congress. He won the election from Tandur.

Uttam Kumar Reddy, who was elected to Lok Sabha recently, has also resigned from Huzurnagar Assembly constituency.

Speaking on the development, Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao said, "TRS has bought our MLAs like cattle. They are not letting me in spite, I am a former MLA, a minister and three-time MP. KCR is frightened of opposition. 12 MLAs havOur e been merged with TRS."

Rohith Reddy, who is likely to join the ruling TRS was suspended from TRS last year after which he joined the Congress. He won the election from Tandur.