KADAPA: TDP Rajya Sabha member CM Ramesh, who was on an indefinite fast demanding an integrated steel plant at Kadapa, as assured in the AP Reorganisation Act, ended his 11-day hunger strike on Saturday after Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu assured him that the state government would set up the plant on its own if Centre failed to honour the promises it made during bifurcation.
Ramesh and TDP MLC M Ravindranath Reddy began their hunger strike on June 20, but the latter’s fast was foiled by cops a few days back as his health condition had started deteriorating. Naidu lashed out at the NDA government at Ramesh’s fast-unto-death camp for “deceiving” Andhra Pradesh and said the state government would give the Centre two months’ time to take a call on setting up the steel plant. “If the Centre feels that the venture is unviable or requires a huge investments, the state government will bear 50% of the cost of the project,’’ he announced. Naidu added that he would form a panel to negotiate a deal with the Centre and TDP MPs would raise the issue in Parliament.
“If the Centre remains non-committal despite our will to bear 50 per cent of the project’s cost, the state government will take up the task on its own to fulfil the aspirations of the five crore people of Andhra Pradesh,’’ Naidu thundered, following which he offered a glass of lemonade to the fasting MP and asked him to end his hunger strike. CM Ramesh had earlier refused to discontinue his protest despite the advice of doctors who had made it clear that he would damage his kidneys and liver if he continued his strike.