Two Telangana Congress Lok Sabha members — Manda Jagannadham (Nagarkurnool) and G. Vivek (Pedapalli) — and former CWC member K. Kesava Rao, a former MP, said Thursday they are quitting the Congress and joining the Telangana Rashtra Samiti.
The MPs had set a May 30 deadline for the Congress central leadership to announce statehood for Telangana.
In a meeting at Mr Vivek’s residence attended by TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao, the two MPs and Mr Kesava Rao announced they were joining the TRS.
“The Congress promised Telangana on December 9, 2009, and completely backed down on it. Though we tried to convince the Congress leadership and launched many agitations, our efforts went unattended. As we set a May 30 deadline, we have no option but to quit the party,” the MPs said.
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Filmmaker Rituparno, 49, is dead
Tanya Bagchi
Kolkata, May 30
Acclaimed filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh, winner of 12 national awards, died in his sleep after a cardiac arrest at home at around 7.30 am Thursday. He was just 49, and had been suffering from pancreatitis for some time.
A pall of gloom fell across Kolkata, in Bollywood and among film lovers nationwide. Top leaders including President Pranab Mukherjee paid tribute.
In Kolkata, chief minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to his residence. She later said: “We are stunned. Bengal has lost a golden man of a golden era.”