SANGAREDDY: Police foiled a hunger strike planned by Congress leader and former MLA T Jayaprakash Reddy here on Thursday to press his demand for establishment of a government medical collage in the town.Reddy, who has been demanding establishment of the college in Sangareddy for quite some time, has alleged that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and irrigation minister T Harish Rao of favouring Siddipet town for setting up the college though the town lacks the requisite infrastructure.
To press his demand, Jagga Reddy, as he is popularly known, decided to go on an indefinite fast at the district collectors’ office in Sangareddy on Thursday. He set out to the hunger strike venue from his house in a big procession with his supporters and a large number of Congress activists who included his wife and Mahila Congress district president T Nirmala. As the procession moved forward with sloganeering, singing and drum-beating, police suddenly blocked the road and stopped the rally at the police station. The police strategically arrested one by one before arresting the former MLA and taking him to the Pulkal police station. However, he was released in the evening.
Earlier, speaking with mediapersons, Jayaprakash Reddy accused the government of muzzling the opposition’s voice with police force. “When we are asserting our democratic right, why is the government suppressing it?” he asked. He recalled that Chandrasekhar Rao had assured a medical college for Sangareddy and there was an even correspondence in this regard among the government departments concerned. But the chief minister and the irrigation minister changed their mind and decided to establish the medical college at Siddipet which lacked minimum facilities.
“Sangareddy hospital has all necessary facilities to be upgraded as a teaching hospital. In contrast, the Siddipet hospital does not have facilities even a district hospital has. Sangareddy MLA Ch Prabakahar of TRS owes an explanation to the people of the town on his stand,” Reddy said and warned that people would teach the MLA and his party a fitting lesson at an appropriate time. Police made elaborate security arrangements in and outside the Sangareddy town under the supervision of DSP Thirupatanna.