Veteran leader V Vijay Sai Reddy, who resigned from the YSR Congress party on Friday and his Rajya Sabha membership on Saturday admitted that his resignation would definitely help the Telugu Desam Party-led alliance in Andhra Pradesh, which, he said, was not his concern.
Sai Reddy was reacting to the repots in Sakshi newspaper owned by YSRCP president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy that he had resigned from his Rajya Sabha seat only to favour the TDP and its alliance partners.
“Even though I had three and a half years remaining in my term, I decided to resign. I know if I resign from my Rajya Sabha seat, it will go to the TDP-led coalition, as the YSRCP which has a strength of just 11 MLAs, cannot win the seat. Yet, I have taken a conscious decision to resign,” Sai Reddy told reporters after submitting his resignation to Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar.
He said he hoped that someone with greater capacity than him should take his place in the Rajya Sabha, as they would be more beneficial to the state.
“I don’t mind if the person is from the TDP or its alliance partner,” he said.
Sai Reddy said the Rajya Sabha chairman asked whether he was resigning from the seat voluntarily or under coercion from any side.
“I told him that it was a voluntary decision and I am resigning from the seat due to personal reasons,” he said.
He said he had conveyed to Jagan about his decision to quit the party and politics and the latter had tried to convince him to stay back.
“But I made up my mind to quit. My resignation will not affect the party at all, as Jagan is an immensely popular leader. Even if a thousand people like me leave, it will not affect his popularity,” he said.
