Hyderabad, March 3 (IANS) An Andhra Pradesh cabinet minister Thursday sent his resignation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, demanding the leadership to make a clear announcement on the formation of a Telangana state during parliament's budget session.

Minister for Endowments J. Krishna Rao told reporters that he would submit his resignation to Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan if the party leaders failed to announce a time-bound programme to fulfill its commitment on Telangana.

Krishna Rao said his move was aimed at exerting pressure on the party. "I still have faith in the Congress president that she will initiate the process for formation of Telangana state," he said.

The minister met Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy to hand over a copy of the letter sent to Gandhi.

Krishna Rao said ministers and MPs from Telangana were also likely to quit.

"I want to play my role in the Telangana movement. I can't remain a mute spectator and sit in the assembly when all legislators from Telangana are boycotting the assembly," he said.

The resignation came a day after party MP Kavuri Sambasiva Rao challenged party leaders from Telangana to quit if they were sincere in their commitment for a separate state.

Other ministers from Telangana like K. Venkat Reddy and Basvaraj Saraiah said they would decide on their resignations after meeting the central leadership.

Immediately after Sambasiva Rao's challenge Wednesday, MP from Nalgonda G. Sukhender Reddy had said he was ready to quit.

Sambasiva Rao's remarks triggered a war of words between the party leaders from Telangana and Andhra regions.

The MP made the remarks after a group of Telangana lawyers staged a sit-in outside his house in Hyderabad, protesting the proposed meeting of leaders from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions to oppose the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.