The 36-hour fast by Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Bhatti Vikramarka against the ‘undemocratic’ merger of the 12 Congress MLAs group into TRSLP started at the Dharna Chowk, and later in the evening TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said it was changed to ‘fast-unto-death’.
Mr. Vikramarka will sit on ‘fast-unto-death’ against what he called murder of democracy and the government’s wilful encouragement of defections using money and other allurements. Earlier, the fast was officially launched in the presence of all senior leaders, including AICC incharge for Telangana, R.C. Khuntia.
The Congress leaders targeted Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao blaming him for the defections and said he wants to finish the Opposition due to the fear of his corruption being exposed in the Assembly.
Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy also came under severe criticism for his ‘partisan’ role. Mr. Khuntia questioned as to how the Speaker could announce the merger without acting on the disqualification petitions submitted by the Congress earlier.
Dalit leader
He alleged that KCR was targeting Mr. Vikramarka as the latter was a Dalit leader and the Congress honoured him with the Leader of the Opposition status. “KCR doesn’t seem to like a Dalit in such a key position,” he said.
Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy demanded that defected MLAs be disqualified first. The Speaker accepting the letter from the 12 MLAs for merger was nothing but an attack on Telangana people and their wishes. “We seek an explanation to the Telangana people,” he said.
Later in the evening former Union Minister S. Jaipal Reddy addressed the dharna chowk and alleged that the Speaker was behaving like a stooge of KCR. “He has no right to merge a party with another and it can be done only by the Election Commission,” he said.
Mr. Jaipal Reddy said the ‘undemocratic’ action of the Speaker will be challenged in the Court and the Congress expects a favourable decision going by the earlier judgements.
Fight for democracy
Mr. Vikramarka used some harsh words describing Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao as a political terrorist and said the Congress would see the end of the undemocratic rule in Telangana. “This was not the fight of the Congress but the people of Telangana and the fight for democracy,” he said. “Corruption of KCR will be exposed and we will ensure recovery of the illegal money made in the redesigning of the projects.”
Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) chief M. Kodandaram explained the norms of the anti-defection law, changes brought to the law to stop defections, and termed the merger as illegal and violation of the people’s aspirations.
TPCC working president Kusum Kumar, MLC T. Jeevan Reddy, MLAs D. Sreedhar Babu, Seethakka, former CLP leader K. Jana Reddy, former PCC chiefs V. Hanumantha Rao, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Mahila Congress chief Nerella Sharada, senior leaders Shabbir Ali and Anjan Kumar Yadav were among present. TDP polit bureau member Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy extended his support with his presence.
Mr. Hanumantha Rao created some controversy alleging that those who secured tickets paying money defected to the TRS, and the Congress should now recognise the workers rather than those coming from other parties. Mr. Khuntia tried to stop him but Mr. Hanumantha Rao continued with his tirade against his own party members.