Telangana Congress MPs continue fast

The Congress government in Andhra Pradesh continued its efforts to  placate its own MPs to end the fast till late Monday night but without  any success.

Nine MPs led by senior leader and Rajya Sabha member K. Keshava Rao spent the night in the hunger strike camp at New MLA Quarters.

A team of doctors, which examined them, said all their health parameters were normal.

The government had Monday decided to withdraw 135 cases against 834  students but the MPs made it clear that they would not settle for  anything less than withdrawal of all cases booked from November 2009 to September 2010.

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy again deputed three ministers from Telangana to the MPs last night to request them to call off the fast as it was proving an embarrassment for their own government. The MPs, however, stuck to their demand.

Worried over the fast by the MPs, the central leadership of the Congress was also in touch with the chief minister and party's state unit president D. Srinivas to resolve the issue.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political advisor Ahmed Patel and party general secretary Veerappa Moily spoke to Reddy and Srinivas over phone, party sources said.
With state legislators from Telangana also planning to join the MPs in the fast Tuesday, the government is under pressure to immediately find a way out.

The government may announce withdrawal of the remaining 970 cases to save itself from further embarrassment as various Telangana groups continued to express solidarity with the MPs and were even urging them to continue the fast till the formation of separate state.

A total of 1,667 cases were filed against 8,047 people during pro and  anti-Telangana protests in all three regions of Andhra Pradesh.

The government earlier this month announced in the state assembly  withdrawal of 562 cases against 2,436 people but decided not to take back other cases, terming them of serious nature.