Bhatti's fast on merger row enters second day

Hyderabad: The indefinite fast launched by Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka entered second day on Sunday. His health condition is deteriorating fast. He is on fast to protest since Saturday against the merger of 12 defected Congress MLAs with the TRS.

On the second day, several Congress and opposition party leaders visited the hunger strike camp and extended their solidary with Bhatti Vikramarka. They criticised the decision of the Speaker of the Assembly to merge the CLP with TRS.

Speaking on the occasion, Congress MP from Malkajgiri constituency A Revanth Reddy wondered how the Speaker had accepted the application of the MLAs who were not Congress members. He said the defected MLAs had declared that they were joining the TRS. In such a case how would they be considered as Congress MLAs.

Revanth Reddy said the people, who had fought for statehood for Telangana, should ponder present situation. He said that the situation in Telangana State was akin to out of frying pan into the fire.

He said Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao turned into "a political maniac." He said while TRS got 95 lakh votes in the Assembly polls, the number of votes it had secured went down to 75 lakh in Lok Sabha elections. The people had taught a lesson to the Chief Minister for engineering defections.

MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy said the Chief Minister had been trying to vitiate the political climate. He said it was atrocious to merge the CLP with TRS. He alleged that the Chief Minister was indulging in money politics.

He called upon the people to teach a lesson to TRS for trying to obliterate opposition. He alleged that the Chief Minister was encouraging family rule and looting the public money.

Intellectual Kanche Ilaiah said the TRS chief had had introduced undemocratic rule in the State. He said attempts to remove opposition was against the spirt of the Constitution authored by Dr B R Ambedkar.. MRPS president Manda Krishna Madiga said the organisation would hold protests all over the State from Monday in support of Bhatti Vikramarka.

Inti Party leader Ch Sudhakar said the Chief Minister had failed to keep his word that if statehood was given, he would merge TRS with the Congress. AICC secretary Vamsichand Reddy and others spoke.