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Ratna Kumari in hospital, may face TDP action

Shireen in Hyderabad

Andhra Pradesh legislator Ch Ratna Kumari, who was arrested in connection with a murder case and remanded to judicial custody, was admitted to the University Hospital at Vijayawada for ulcer treatment on Wednesday evening.

Earlier in the day, she was presented along with three of her supporters before the fifth metropolitan magistrate of the coastal city and was remanded to judicial custody for 15 days.

The magistrate had directed the jail authorities to refer her to a hospital for treatment if the situation warranted. In the evening, she was shifted to the hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, the controversial women legislator is likely to face disciplinary action from the ruling Telugu Desam Party for her critical utterances against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. She accused him of "falsely implicating her in a murder case to take revenge" against her.

Ratna Kumari, who had become an associate member of the Telugu Desam Party recently, was denied the party to contest the assembly election from the Vijayawada East constituency. The seat has been allotted to the TDP's poll ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party. Ratna Kumari was expelled from the Congress four years ago.

Refuting her allegations against the chief minister, state Home Minister A Madhava Reddy said that neither he nor the chief minister had anything to do with the MLA's present predicament.

He said that the immediate arrest of the MLA on Tuesday following the registration of a murder case against her and four of her supporters indicated that there was no interference from the political executive.

TDP sources said that the meeting of the party politburo would be held soon to consider disciplinary action against the MLA for her 'direct attack' on the chief minister and party chief.

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