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Andhra Pradesh Deputy Speaker K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday afternoon announced his resignation from the post, the legislative assembly and the ruling Telugu Desam Party.
He also launched the Telangana Rashtra Samithi to achieve the goal of separate state of Telangana.
At a public meeting, Chandrasekhar Rao asserted that only a separate state would ensure the progress of the backward Telangana region, which has been neglected by successive governments, including the Chandrababu Naidu regime.
Chandrasekhar Rao said that the samithi would mobilise the people of Telangana to achieve statehood for their region. The movement would be peaceful, he asserted. He said that the samithi would seek to pursue its movement in a democratic manner.
The four-term legislator from Siddipet constituency in the backward Medak district lashed out at the present regime for neglecting problems of the region. He said that the movement for a separate Telangana had the backing of many political leaders from the region.
He was, however, critical of the role of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, which were not sincere in their commitment for a separate state.
Chandrasekhar Rao, transport minister during 1996-99, was dropped from the cabinet by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu after the 1999 assembly elections. He was made deputy speaker but this did not placate him and he turned a dissident over the last year. He created ripples by openly lashing out at the chief minister for the unprecedented power tariff hike last June.
Former assembly speaker G Narayana Rao, former MP M Narayan Reddy, former MLA N Narasimha Reddy and former Hyderabad mayor A Satyanarayana were among those who joined the Telangana Rashtra Samithi on Friday.
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