Demand for Varavara Rao's release grows

The demand is growing up for shifting of revolutionary Telegu poet Varavara Rao from jail to hospital and immediate release in the wake of his deteriorating health.

The CPI(M), Congress and NCP, several NGOs and fronts, intellectuals have urged the government to provide necessary medical attention.

"The Uddhav Thackeray-government should not fall prey to the Machiavellian machinations of the Centre that it would be the Maharashtra Government who would be put in the dock, in case something unfortunate and untoward happens. We fervently hope good sense will prevail and the Maharashtra government will take firm and proper action in this respect," the CPI(M) Maharashtra State Committee said in a press statement.

The statements comes hours after Varavara Rao's family members - wife P Hemalatha, and daughters P Sahaja, P Anala, P Pavana - issued a public statement from Hyderabad, to provide necessary medical attention to him.

"The physical condition of octogenarian poet and public intellectual Varavara Rao has become precarious in Taloja Central Prison, Navi Mumbai, where he is languishing for 22 months without a trial under false and fabricated charges in the Bhima Koregaon case, thanks to the political vendetta of the central government," the CPI(M) said.

Congress leader and MP Dr Shashi Tharoor tweeted: "An 80 year old needs to be hospitalized immediately as his health is declining. I appeal to the Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and home minister Anil Deshmukh to act out of compassion and humanity. Politics and everything else can come later."

Senior Maharashtra minister and NCP leader has urged the Centre to shift revolutionary poet Varavara Rao to hospital.

State housing minister Dr Jitendra Awhad tweeted: "We are extremely worried about Varvara Rao's health condition . His possesssion is under Home Ministry of Central government and not under Maharashtra government. We appeal to the Central government to urgently shift him to a hospital."

He has also tagged state home minister Anil Deshmukh in the tweet.

"His health is so deteriorated that he cannot walk or even brush his teeth without assistance. More worryingly, he is hallucinating with the progressive collapse of his mental faculties. With the levels of potassium and sodium further going down it could damage his brain permanently," the CPI(M) statement notes.

"With the news that the Covid-19 has spread to various prisons Varavara Rao, who is extremely vulnerable to catch this epidemic, can face a life threatening situation," it said.

It is evident that the NIA is being misused for political vendetta. It is just to show Maharashtra Chief Minister ‘his place’ that the NIA has been told to take over this case, the Left party said.

"We demand that looking at the dangerous spread of the Covid-19, all these public intellectuals put in prisons under fabricated charges be released forthwith. The Uddhav Thackeray government should not fall prey to the Machiavellian machinations of the Centre that it would be the Maharashtra Government who would be put in the dock, in case something unfortunate and untoward happens. We fervently hope good sense will prevail and the Maharashtra Government will take firm and proper action in this respect. The first step must be to expeditiously shift Varavara Rao to a well equipped hospital in Mumbai," it requested.