Jagan men next in speakers list

HYDERABAD: Speaker Nadendla Manohar is said to have lined up more jitters for quitters in the coming days. He is likely to accept the resignations of more MLAs who have put in their papers for one reason or another or sack some of those MLAs against whom disqualification notices have been issued for indulging in cross-party flirtation.Manohar is likely to take action on another half a dozen resignations and disqualification petitions before the winter session of the Assembly commences.According to sources, the first two numbers to be called up will be those of Y Balanagi Reddy and Shobha Nagi Reddy, both non-Congress MLAs who have crossed over to Kadapa MP Jagan Mohan Reddy’s camp.The point to be noted in these impending sackings -- as also the acceptance of resignations submitted by rebel TDP MLAs Nagam Janardhan Reddy and N Prasanna Kumar Reddy on Saturday -- is that it will not erode the ruling Congress party’s numbers in the Assembly. Balanagi Reddy is a defector from the TDP and Shobha from Praja Rajyam. Similarly, the speaker is likely to next take up the resignations of three Congress MLAs -- Jupalli Krishna Rao, Dr T Rajaiah and Somarapu Satyanarayana -- who have already joined the TRS.Next may come the disqualification petitions pending against four rebel Congress MLAs -- G Srikant Reddy, C Adinarayana Reddy, A Amarnath Reddy and Konda Surekha.These are hardcore Jagan loyalists and possibly not amenable to switching loyalties back to the Congress.In all, there are 78 resignations (including six disqualification cases) on the speaker’s table. Some 100 resignations were submitted by Telangana MLAs in July to press for separate statehood but the speaker spiked them all as an emotional overreaction. Then, 29 Jagan loyalist MLAs, including two TDP rebels Prasanna Kumar Reddy and Balanagi Reddy, quit in protest against inclusion of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s name in the CBI’s FIR on the case against Jagan. Besides, 32 Telangana TDP MLAs and four TDP rebels, including Nagam Janardhan Reddy, also resigned again. TDP legislator Gampa Goverdhan resigned to join the TRS. Eleven TRS MLAs faxed their resignations to the speaker’s office after rejection of the 100 resignations. Plus two Congress MLAs defected to the TRS.According to highly placed sources, Congress leaders expect the sabre-rattling to psyche the Jagan loyalist MLAs into returning to the party fold. They say the speaker’s acceptance of two resignations Saturday has jolted them out of their happy reverie believing that the Congress cannot touch them without running the risk of slipping into minority.