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AP MLAs turn down Naidu's appeal to end agitation

Fasting Congress and left parties' legislators on Saturday asserted that they would go ahead with the August 28 chalo assembly agitation as scheduled, ignoring Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's plea to end the on-going nine-day old 'fast unto death' agitation for rollback of the hike in power tariff.

The fast-unto death by 81 legislators, which began on August 18, entered the ninth day on Saturday. By evening, two more legislators had been hospitalised.

Congress Legislative Party leader Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy said, "We are not hampering or interfering with the relief operations. In what way has our indefinite fast interfered with the relief work in the wake of rains and floods in the state?"

Taking exception to the police denying permission to hold a rally as part of the 'chalo assembly' plan on August 28, he said they would go ahead with the programme as scheduled. "If people coming to participate in the agitation from other districts were prevented by the police, then they would organise rasta roko and rail roko at the same place where they are stopped," he said.

Naidu, who was in the state assembly on Saturday morning, had appealed to the fasting Congress, Communist Party of India-Marxist and CPI (ML-New Democracy) legislators to call off their stir in view of the alarming situation due to heavy rains and flash floods that claimed 130 lives besides causing huge damage to property.

Intervening during discussion on the flood situation, Naidu hit out at the opposition for 'trying to derive political mileage by continuing the stir even when thousands of people were left homeless and without proper food or drinking water following floods'.

He strongly criticised the Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen floor leader A Owaisi for extending support to the stir.

Meanwhile, G Kuthuhalamma, who was hospitalised four days ago and had rejoined the fast two days ago, was again shifted to a local government hospital in Hyderabad on Saturday after her condition worsened. Her sugar levels shot up, according to doctors at the fasting camp.

One more fasting legislator B Goverdhan was rushed to hospital after his condition deteriorated on Saturday evening.

Another party legislator K Nagarjuna Reddy, who fell sick, was shifted to a hospital late on Friday night, party sources said.

EARLIER REPORT
Opposition fast enters 8th day, stalemate continues

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