Wednesday 9 December, 2009

KCR sinking, Parliament urges him to break fast

Andhra Pradesh has been put on high alert as Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President K Chandrashekhar Rao's health continues to deteriorate.

Rao's deteriorating health and the agitation for a separate state of Telangana also echoed in Parliament on Wednesday as both the Houses debated the issue with MPs urging him to break his fast and insisting that the Centre look into the matter urgently.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also spoke to MPs from Andhra Pradesh and expressed concern over KCR's health

While Lok Sabha MPs asked Centre to intervene and resolve the Telangana tangle, in Rajya Sabha Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs forced an adjournment on the issue.

"We are very concerned about KCR's health. I on behalf of every body would appeal to him that we are as concerned about Telangana but we are also concerned about his health," said BJP MP and Leader of Opposition LK Advani.

"Andhra situation is very explosive. Government should have taken note of it as it erupted," said Janata Dal (United) President Sharad Yadav.

Congress MP Jaipal Reddy also appealed to KCR to end his hunger strike.

Rao, popularly know as KCR, has been on hunger strike for the past 11 days demanding that a state of Telangana be carved out of Andhra Pradesh.

Doctors attending KCR at the state-run Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad are trying to convince him to break his fast.

"He (KCR) is not cooperating. He is refusing anti-biotics and IV. He is conscious but very weak," said a doctor attending KCR. He added that till now KCR's vitals signs were stable.

A medical bulletin issued by NIMS said that though KCR was conscious and speaking, but he has been refusing to take medicines and antibiotics.

Doctors said that if he did not take food and medicines, his condition would start to deteriorate.

Meanwhile, police have begun a crackdown on protestors in Hyderabad and forcibly evicted students from Osmania University hostels in Hyderabad on Wednesday morning.

TRS protestors and students also clashed with police outside the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday morning.

There was an uproar in the Andhra Assembly on Telangana issue for the second day on Wednesday with Speaker Kiran Kumar Reddy first adjourning the House for 15 minutes and then for the entire day.

Chief Minister K Rosaiah appealed to the MLAs to let the Assembly function claiming that Centre was considering the issue of a separate Telangana state but TRS MLAs supported by BJP and the Communist Party of India (CPI) gathered near the Speaker’s podium shouting slogans forcing the adjournment.

Andhra Opposition leaders including Telugu Desam party chief N Chandrababu naidu also appealed to KCR to end his fast.

Rosaiah will also be coming to Delhi on Wednesday to meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi and discuss the issue.

Prohibitory orders banning the assembly of five or more people at a place under Section 144) of the Code of Criminal Procedure will also clamped by 1800 hrs IST in all 10 districts of Telangana including Hyderabad.

Andhra Pradesh government has shut down all universities, colleges and hostels in the region till December 19 to pre-empt the Assembly Chalo (march to the Assembly) rally called by the TRS and the students unions on Wednesday.

"We hope that people who are intending to come and lay siege on the Assembly will be prevented. We will try and see that there will not be any violence and there will no inconvenience to the general public," said Hyderabad Police Commissioner B Prasada Rao.

"We are getting inputs that anti-social elements will be mixing with the protestors to create unrest. We will be deploying heavy forces, special police and paramilitary forces. Osmania University is on a 15 day holiday. We will make sure that the students vacate the hostels," added Rao.

There has been heavy deployment of security forces in Telangana region including Hyderabad with authorities having called in 8,000 policemen. Rapid Action Force and Central Reserve Police Force platoons have also been deployed in the region.

Police officials say the heavy deployment has been necessitated because TRS is planning to bring in its supporters from neighbouring districts and for the Assembly Chalo rally on Thursday.

Security forces have also set up check points at all entry points in Hyderabad to prevent Telangana supporters from entering the city.

Senior Congress leaders in Delhi including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P Chidambaram have been keeping a close watch on the Telangana agitation in Andhra Pradesh and are also in contact with leaders from the state to finds a solution.

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