The Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan on Sunday accepted the resignations of two cabinet ministers, who had quit about a week ago after being charged in the disproportionate assets case of YSR Congress party leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.

The Governor accepted the resignations of Home Minister P. Sabitha Indra Reddy and Roads and Buildings Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao today morning.

The ministers had submitted their resignations to Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on May 20, following pressure from the Congress party’s central leadership. They have been accused of showing undue favours to companies which invested in Jaganmohan Reddy’s businesses, allegedly on a quid pro quo basis, when they were ministers in the Y S Rajsekhara Reddy cabinet.

The Congress party, which is cleaning up its house in preparation for the ensuing polls, directed the Chief Minister to get their resignations, after political leaders both within and outside the party began to clamour for the sacking of tainted ministers.

Dharmana had earlier also submitted his resignation after he was named as an accused in the fourth charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation in August last, but it was not accepted by the Chief Minister then.

So was the case with Sabitha, who also had offered to quit after she was named in the fifth charge sheet filed last month.

Meanwhile, the YSR Congress Party said it would organise a two-day state-wide agitation programme from May 27 to register their protest against the “undemocratic detention” of its leader Jagan Mohan Reddy, who completed one year in detention today. “The main rally will be held at Necklace Road, while a day long ‘deeksha’ will be observed at Indira Park,” party’s deputy floor leader Sobha Nagi Reddy said.

>amitmitra@thehindu.co.in

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