The Government’s bid to create Telangana State continues to have its ripple effect in Andhra Pradesh as also in West Bengal.YSR Congress chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Saturday quit as Kadapa MP while his mother YS Vijaya resigned from the Assembly protesting the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. Jagan has been a vociferous opponent of Telangana and the latest move will only marginalise the YSR Congress in the region. All 16 MlAs and only other lok Sabha member M Rajmohan Reddy of YSR Congress have already resigned.
Announcing the resignation of Jaganmohan Reddy, who is in jail for the past 15 months and his mother, M Rajamohan Reddy told the media that the resignations were in protest against the Congress’ policy on the State’s bifurcation. “Congress is playing all these dramas as it was not able to face Jaganmohan Reddy politically,” he said.
In Bengal, Mahendra Pradhan, a council member of the Gorkha Territorial Administration, and Narayan Pradhan, president of the GJM Darjeeling Town Committee, were arrested on Saturday taking the total number of those booked to 150.
Mahendra Pradhan was picked up from his home at Sonada, near Darjeeling in a drive headed by the SP Kunal Agarwal, while Narayan Pradhan was taken into custody in the early hours from the town.
Tension intensified after CM Mamata Banerjee set a 72-hour ultimatum for the GJM to lift its ongoing Darjeeling bandh and threatened of action if it failed to do so. It drew instant reaction from the Hill outfit which issued a counter-ultimatum asking her to withdraw her deadline threat or deal with a “janta curfew.”