VIJAYAWADA: On a day when a delegation of TDP MPs met Union Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh and returned without getting any positive assurance from the Centre over setting up of a steel plant in Kadapa district, the Kadapa police foiled the indefinite hunger strike being observed by TDP MLC BTech Ravi as his health condition turned grim. Police forcibly shifted Ravi to RIMS amid stiff resistance from the TDP activists as his health condition deteriorated on the eighth day of his fast. However, party MP CM Ramesh continued his hunger strike.
Earlier in the morning, RIMS doctors N Seshidar and T Giridhar examined the fasting leaders and sent a report to the district collector expressing concern over the health condition of the fasting leaders.
HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao who was sent by the Chief Minister to meet the fasting leaders, discussed the health condition of them with Collector Ch Harikiran, SP A Babujee, RIMS Director N Seshidhar and Superintendent T Giridhar. The doctors told the minister that MP C M Ramesh was fit to continue his fast for another two days but the condition of Ravi was serious. “If immediate treatment is not provided, he may face threat to his life,” the doctors said.
In Delhi, the MPs met the Union minister and insisted that the Centre come up with a time-bound assurance but they failed to get any response. The minister told the delegation that he needed some more clarifications on some issues. The TDP MPs reminded Birendra Singh of the deteriorating health condition of Ramesh and Ravi and how emotions of people in the State were running high. Stating that agitations were launched in different parts of the State raising concerns over law and order problems, the MPs demanded that he give an assurance that a steel plant would be established in Kapada with a time-bound road map.
However, Birender Singh just confined himself to say that setting up of steel plants in Kadapa as well as in Telangana was not a closed chapter. He said the affidavit filed in the Supreme Court was in connection with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). “The task force constituted one and half year ago is still on the job and the question of closing the exercise on setting up of steel plants will not arise,” he said.
“We are hopeful both AP and Telangana have already given replies to all the questions except on two issues like land and linkage and once getting the answer the task force will submit its report and we will proceed further to build a plant in Kadapa,’’ he said.However, as the minister did not give a specific assurance on the issue, the TDP MPs decided to continue their agitation.