Telangana Congress leader calls off fast over merger row

Telangana Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who was on indefinite fast since June 8 over "undemocratic" merger of 12 Congress MLAs with the ruling TRS, called off the protest after he was forcibly shifted to a hospital.

The police forcibly removed Vikramarka from hunger strike camp at Indira Park here as his condition started deteriorating. There was mild tension as some Congress leaders tried to resist the police. He was shifted him to government-run Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS).

The Congress leader, however, refused to take saline or any treatment at the hospital and claimed that he was continuing his fast to demand Speaker P. Srinivas Reddy to withdraw his orders merging 12 Congress MLAs with Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

State Congress chief Uttam Kumar Reddy, senior leader Jana Reddy and others called on Vikramarka at NIMS and persuaded him to call off the fast.

The Congress leader alleged that the actions of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and the Speaker were a threat to democracy.

The Speaker on June 6 recognised merger of 12 Congress legislators with TRS Legislature Party after the group met him and made a request in this regard.

With this, the number of Congress MLAs in 119-member Assembly has plunged to six and the party is in danger of losing the post of the Leader of Opposition.

Meanwhile, Uttam Kumar Reddy and Vikramarka approached Telangana High Court challenging the Speaker's action in merging Congress legislators with the TRS. The petitions will come up for hearing on Tuesday.

--IANS

ms/pg