Monday, July 4 2005 15:14 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Hyderabad: Dissent within Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) came to the fore with senior minister S Santosh Reddy defying party high command's directive to quit the cabinet along with five of his colleagues who submitted their resignations to Andhra Pradesh Governor Sushil Kumar Shinde In Hyderabad today (July 4, 2005).

"If pulling out of the Cabinet can solve the problem it should start from TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao and he should quit from the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) cabinet first. I am a loyal party worker but not a slave to carry out the dictates of one person. Decisions should be taken on consensus," Reddy told reporters.

The decision of TRS pulling out of the Congress-led Government in the State was taken at a meeting in Delhi yesterday (July 3, 2005) where the party supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao asked the ministers to quit in protest against the "anti-Telangana policies of the State Government."

Four of the six TRS ministers attended the Delhi meeting while N Narasimha Reddy was away in US and Santosh Reddy, who holds the portfolio of Transport, could not attend as he was holding talks with road transport unions who went on indefinite strike.

Santosh Reddy, who represents Armoor assembly segment in Nizamabad district and a long time Congressman, defied the party leadership and refused to quit from the cabinet.

However, admitting that he was committed to the cause of Telangana, Reddy, said that he respects TRS and the leader but was not putting in his papers as he did not have any direct communication nor was there any meeting involving a major section of leaders and workers before taking the decision.

Four TRS ministers called on Reddy before leaving for Raj Bhavan to submit their papers while the fifth minister sent him papers from the US.