AP: Cong issues show-cause to 4 rebel MLAs

The ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh has issued show-cause notices to four rebel members of legislative assembly who have openly been sailing with YSR Congress Party President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee Disciplinary Committee Chairman K Satyanarayana Raju issued the notices to MLAs G Srikanth Reddy, A  Amarnath Reddy, C Adinarayana Reddy and Konda Surekha asking why action should not be initiated against them for defying the party and siding with Jagan, who quit the Congress in November last year.

Government chief whip M Bhatti Vikramarka and whip K Murli met the Deputy Speaker N Manohar today and formally petitioned him to disqualify the four MLAs. They also submitted documentary proof, including newspaper cuttings and video clippings of the anti-party activities of these legislators.

Konda Surekha had resigned from the cabinet soon after the death of YS Rajasekhar Reddy demanding that his son Jaganmohan Reddy be made the chief minister of the state. In a deliberate move, the Congress has decided to target the four hardcore Jagan loyalists as a warning shot to the other 16 legislators. Earlier Vikramarka and K Murli had met Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to discuss the issue.

Meanwhile, the state Congress committee also issued show cause notice to the four MLAs for their participation in the election campaign of Jaganmohan Reddy and his mother, Vijayalakshmi, in Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula assembly constituencies.

The four were the part of 20-odd MLAs of Congress party who have been openly supporting Jaganmohan Reddy ever since he revolted against the party leadership and finally quit the party in November last.

Jagan has already launched his new political party YSR Congress, and many of the defiant Congress MLAs has aligned themselves with the new party.

The Congress approached the deputy speaker with a request to disqualify the rebel MLAs at a time when he has already issued notices to the two Telugu Desam Party MLAs on TDP's petition, seeking their disqualification.

With inputs from PTI