Demanding that all police cases against Telangana students and agitators be lifted, the Telangana Congress MPs on Monday started an indefinite hunger strike at the Telangana Martyrs Memorial at Gun Park, which was later shifted to New MLA Quarters in Adarshnagar.
Raising slogans against what they called the state government's indifferent attitude, the MPs, after paying floral tributes to Martyrs' Memorial, began their indefinite fast demanding the immediate lifting of police cases against students and agitators.
Earlier, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy appealed to the MPs to withdraw their hunger strike call, stating that the government had already
lifted cases on 565 students.
The government has been making efforts to lift all cases against the students in a phased manner after discussions with the officials concerned, the chief minister said.
KKR also deputed a team of ministers, including Jana Reddy, Basavaraju Saraiah and Shabbir Ali, on behalf of the state government, to persuade the MPs.
However, the MPs did not relent, and continued their fast, demanding concrete assurance from the CM and the home minister, Sabitha Indra Reddy, on the lifting of the cases against students.
MP Sarvey Satyanarayana stated, "We gave the chief minister enough time to lift police cases against students, but the government has not come out with a proper decision despite the assurance given by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, PM Manmohan Singh and union home minister P Chidambaram. The MPs will continue their fast until the government lifts the cases against students."
He questioned the rationale behind filing criminal cases against students for participating in the agitation for bifurcation of the state. Satyanarayana also warned the government of serious consequences if it does not withdraw cases against agitators, saying that he and his colleagues were ready to sacrifice their lives for the cause of a separate Telangana state.
Earlier, the MPs met at CLP office to discuss the future course of agitation on lifting of police cases against students.
Courtesy: INN