"Sinking" K Laxman Ends Fast In NIMS

As the health condition of the fasting Telangana BJP president Dr K Laxman deteriorated, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir made him call off the indefinite hunger strike that he had started for the cause of the Intermediate students of Telangana affected by the results fiasco.

Laxman had been on a fast for five days demanding action against the officials responsible for the Intermediate marks disaster. He was shifted to NIMS forcibly from his party office in Nampally when he sat on his fast six days ago, and continued to fast even in the hospital. NIMS doctors reportedly told Ahir that the sugar and BP levels of Laxman were dipping to critical levels, and that he could slip into a coma any time, resulting in Ahir, former union minister Bandaru Dattatreya and other leaders of the BJP persuading him to call off the fast.

Dattatreya offered lemon juice to Laxman to end his fast.

Speaking to the media outside on Friday, Ahir demanded that the Telangana government take action against the erring officials in the Board of Intermediate Education, including the Secretary.

BJP National General Secretary Muralidhar Rao said that the party would continue to hold protests across the State.

Earlier in the day, former Rajya Sabha Member Rapolu Anand Bhaskar had called on Dr Laxman at NIMS to enquire about his health condition.