Telangana : Former PCC Chief Ponnala Lakshmaiah resigns Congress

Senior Congress leader and former minister of United Andhra Pradesh, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, resigned from the party on Friday, as the state is set to go for assembly polls in November.

Lakshmaiah was associated with the Congress party for more than four decades and served as the first Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC).

He is a four-time MLA from the Jangaon Assembly constituency.Lakshmaiah was reportedly upset over a section of the party leadership trying to pitch another candidate for his sitting seat.

In his resignation letter to AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lakshmaiah cited an “unjust environment” within the party.“It is with a heavy heart that I announce my decision to discontinue my association with the party.

I have reached a point where I feel that I can no longer thrive in such an unjust environment.I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all those who have supported me in my various party roles over the years,” he said in the letter.

The veteran leader also alleged that when a group of 50 BC leaders from Telangana went to Delhi to request prioritisation for the backward classes, they were denied even a meeting with AICC leaders, which is an "embarrassment for the state that prides itself on self-respect".Congress is gearing up to announce its list of candidates for the November 30 assembly polls.