Hyderabad, Dec 24 (IANS) As many as 80 legislators from the Telangana region cutting across party lines have decided to quit, while nearly half of them have already submitted their resignations to the assembly speaker, protesting the central government's move to put on hold the process of forming a Telangana state out of Andhra Pradesh.

All the legislators came under the banner of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) to quit.

The legislators who have quit or decided to quit include 30 each from the ruling Congress party and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP). All 10 legislators of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) have already submitted their resignations.

While almost all Congress legislators have decided to quit, 13 ministers from the region said they would abide by the decision of the party's central leadership.

The ministers held a meeting amid mounting public pressure to quit. Minister for Information and Public Relations J. Geeta Reddy told reporters while they did not see any injustice to Telangana in the latest statement made by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, there was a need for some clarity.

"The statement has created some confusion. The high command should clarify and give a time frame to complete the process for the formation of a Telangana state," she said.

Telangana region has 119 legislators in the 294 member assembly. They include 50 from the Congress party. Even if the majority of them resign, the government would be reduced to a minority.

TDP leader E. Dayakar Rao told reporters that all 38 legislators of his party from the region had decided to quit.