TRS Rajya Sabha MPs to resign on Paddy procurement?

Is the ruling TRS planning to resign from the Rajya Sabha on the issue of paddy procurement? Yes, say highly reliable sources. They say that the TRS is actively considering the proposal to get one up on the BJP on the issue of paddy procurement. The party would get mileage and would be able to go ballistic on the BJP, say sources.

The TRS has six MPs in Rajya Sabha. D Srinivas is keeping a distance from the party and if he resigns, the party can give a ticket to someone else to effectively end his stint in Rajya Sabha. Similarly, Banda Prakash has just resigned from Rajya Sabha to become an MLC. His seat is lying vacant and there could soon be bypolls for the seat. Also, the term of Capt. Lakshmikantha Reddy will end in July. It would make no difference to him if he resigns now.

The TRS can win back all the Rajya Sabha seats due to the massive majority it enjoys in the Telangana assembly. So it would gain sympathy from the voters on one hand and get back all its seats. More importantly, it can get rid of renegades like DS. Sources say that the grip on the Rajya Sabha MPs too will get tightened through this exercise.

However, some sections in the party warn that this could end up being seen as a political shenanigan. They warn that the farmers and the opposition would say that this was nothing but a drama as the TRS is sure of winning Rajya Sabha seats as it has enough MLAs. To prove its sincerity, the TRS should resign from the Lok Sabha seats and not Rajya Sabha seats. This would be counterproductive for the TRS at this stage, especially after the Huzurabad defeat, say sources. It remains to be seen what decision KCR will take.