In a late night development, YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy, who has been on fast since Sunday, was shifted to the Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) at Punjagutta here on Friday amid tight security as as his condition deteriorated.
The vehicle carrying him left the Osmania Government General Hospital (OGGH) at Afzalgunj at 11:20 pm and reached NIMS at 11:45 pm. Dressed in a black T shirt with white horizontal stripes, Jagan got down the car and walked on his own to the emergency ward. He had appeared weaker when he was taken to OGGH from the Chanchalguda jail 24 hours earlier. A team of cardio, nephro, neuro and other specialist doctors were in attendance. After a series of diagnostic tests conducted on him, Jagan was taken to Room No 132 in the Trauma Care Centre of the Emergency Block.
Police took over the entire block and all entries into the premises were sealed. Jagan’s family members, including his wife Bharathi and mother Vijayamma, were not allowed to meet him. They were only able to catch a glimpse of him as he passed by in the hospital corridor.
DETERIORATION: With his health deteriorating hour by hour and his steadfast refusal to break his fast, doctors at the Osmania Government General Hospital (OGGH) had earlier decided to force-feed him with fluids if his health deteriorates further.
Doctors attending on him said his sugar levels were falling and pulse rate was dropping. As per the medical bulletin released on Friday morning, Jagan’s pulse rate was 56-60 per minute, blood pressure was 110/70, ketone levels were 4+ and blood sugar was 70. Doctors said that if the sugar levels fell further, the liver and kidneys might get affected.
Despite several requests from various quarters including his mother, family members and party, Jagan is refusing to give up his indefinite hunger strike.
Stating that they had no sophisticated medical equipment to treat Jagan, Osmania Hospital authorities requested the Chanchalguda Jail authorities to shift Jagan to another hospital.
They also said Jagan’s presence amid tight security at the hospital was inconveniencing other patients who come in hundreds every day for treatment.
TRANSFER FROM JAIL: Jagan has been on an indefinite hunger strike at the Chanchalguda jail here since Sunday demanding that the Centre keep the state undivided if it failed to address the concerns of the people of Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. Ever since he began his fast, doctors have been conducting medical tests on him twice a day.
On Thursday night he was shifted to the OGGH amid tight security on the advice of doctors in the prison. In spite of the repeated requests from the doctors, Jagan has refused to give up his fast.
The YSRC has appealed to Jagan to end his fast, saying that there were many battles to be fought against the insensitive government in the days to come.
‘’The political affairs committee of the party has met and resolved to appeal to YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to call off his fast in the larger interest of the people,’’ party honorary president YS Vijayalakshmi told mediapersons. The party took the decision in view of the fast deteriorating health and dropping levels of sugar, which might damage the internal organs of Jagan.
‘’Last night, when Jagan was shifted to OGH, we had no information and when we rushed to the hospital on hearing the news through media, we were not allowed to meet him. After dilly-dallying for more than one hour and when our MLAs threatened to sit on a dharna, they allowed me and Bharathi to see him. Our meeting lasted for only 15 minutes with interruptions. When I asked him to take care of his health, he asked me to be calm and think like a head of the party and not like a mother. However, I told him that politics is no longer dignified and asked him to withdraw the fast as there are more battles to be fought in future,’’ she said.
She said that she went on an indefinite hunger strike in Guntur but was forced to give it up by the police on the fifth day. When she was taken to hospital, Jagan spoke with her and asked her to to give up fast, saying he himself would go on an indefinite fast in the jail. She tried to convince Jagan not to fast but there was no reply from him and the telephonic conversation with her son ended briefly, she recalled and appealed to the party cadre to maintain restraint.
Wife files petition
Meanwhile, Vijayamma moved the CBI court seeking permission to allow herself and Jagan’s wife Bharathi to be with Jagan but the court returned the memo stating that the court would not entertain memos in this regard and asked them to file a petition. As per the court’s direction, Jagan’s wife Bharathi had filed a petition seeking permission to allow her to be with her husband in the hospital to take care of him as his health is deteriorating.
Principal special judge U Durga Prasad Rao, hearing the petition, said the petitioner could have approached the jail authorities rather than the court. Bharathi informed the court that she had approached the jail authorities but was told to approach the court. The hearing on the petition was posted for Saturday.