Hyderabad:
Andhra legislators who resigned on Monday to protest the late Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy's inclusion by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a disproportionate assets case against his son Jagan Mohan Reddy, plan to launch a "bus yatra" to take the issue before the people.
A day after resigning from the assembly and the primary membership of the Congress, 26 legislators of the ruling party on Tuesday paid their respects to the late leader at his samadhi in Kadapa district.
The MLAs loyal to YSR Congress Party chief Jagan Reddy reached the family's estate and offered floral tributes at the samadhi of YSR, as the late Chief Minister is popularly known.
Two rebel MLAs of the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and one of the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) have also quit over the "humiliation" being meted out to YSR.
They alleged that the Congress government is trying to malign the late leader by including his name in the first information report (FIR) of the CBI filed against his son Jaganmohan Reddy in a corruption case.
The CBI, in its FIR, said Jagan conspired with his father and then chief minister to dole out several favours to companies which made huge investments in a quid-pro-quo arrangement.
The MLAs who submitted their resignations to legislature secretary Monday are now waiting for the return of assembly speaker N Manohar to take a decision.
The MLAs plans to meet Governor ESL Narasimhan if the speaker rejects their resignations.
Former minister and a staunch Jagan loyalist Konda Surekha said they would soon launch "bus yatra" to various parts of the state to highlight the "injustice to YSR family".
"We will tell people how the Congress party is trying to tarnish the image of the tallest leader though it was because of his efforts that the party came to power in 2004 and 2009," Surekha said.
She alleged that the CBI case against Jagan is a witch-hunt by the Congress party as he left the party and floated a new organisation.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders claimed that many of the legislators were forced to submit resignations and they do not want the speaker to accept these. Congress legislator Anam Vivekananda Reddy accused Jagan of resorting to blackmail politics to avoid a CBI probe.
Minister for Tourism Vatti Vasanth Kumar, who also served as minister under YSR, said YSR had no knowledge of the amassing of huge wealth by his son. He said the ministers who served in the YSR cabinets, were ready to face probe by the CBI.