Kadapa Steel Plant: TDP MP breaks his hunger strike

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader C. M. Ramesh on Saturday ended his 10-day long hunger strike at Kadapa district's Zila Parishad office.

Ramesh ended his fast after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu met him and offered him a glass of lemon juice here on the eleventh day of his strike.

Ramesh began the strike last week on Wednesday, demanding the Centre to set up an integrated steel plant in Kadapa, as promised in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act in 2014, also known as the Telangana Act.

TDP General Secretary Nara Lokesh also visited Ramesh and while speaking on the occasion, he said that the Kadapa steel plant is the right of the people of the Andhra Pradesh.

"YSRCP MPs compromised with Delhi and cheated people of Andhra Pradesh. But TDP MPs are fighting for the rights of the state, without caring much about their lives," Lokesh said.

He even lashed out at the Centre for not fulfilling the promise made during the bifurcation of the state.

"Even after 4 years, the centre is not responding. The BJP led central government has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court that the factory is not financially feasible. This is the height of their conspiracy politics," he said.

The IT Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Lokesh even questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intention behind not approving the steel plant here.

Along with Ramesh, Member of Legislative Council Ravi is also on an indefinite hunger strike.

The Centre recently withdrew its decision to establish the steel plant, claiming that the project was financially unviable. However, the Andhra Pradesh government had argued against this statement by the Centre, saying that it was a viable project for at least 15 years.