Expelled Cong MLAs begin 48-hr hunger strike

Hyderabad: As announced, the expelled members of the Congress party, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and SA Sampath Kumar, began their 48-hour hunger strike, named as Prajaswamya Parirakshana Deeksha (Agitation to save democracy) at Gandhi Bhavan protesting their expulsion from the Assembly. 

The strike was inaugurated by Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly K Jana Reddy and LoP in the Council Mohammad Shabbir Ali. The party workers raised slogans against Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on the day. 

Addressing the gathering at the strike camp, Jana Reddy said the government has been suppressing the voices of opposition in the Assembly when it was raising its voice against the failures of the government. He said the Congress would fight against the government. 

Alleging that the government has been stifling voices of people in Assembly and outside, the Congress leader said expulsion of party MLAs was undemocratic and called for the end of TRS rule. He called upon party workers to stage protest against the government. 

Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that the government has been killing the democracy and Venkat Reddy and Sampath have taken up hunger strike to protest the attitude of the government. He said it was the first time in the country that the members of the Assembly have been expelled in Telangana. He said the Chief Minister has insulted all the people of the State.