Rao shifted to ICU, TRS calls for two-day shutdown

Hyderabad: Telanagana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K Chandrashekhar Rao, who is on ‘fast unto death’ for the last six days, was shifted to the ICU of a Hyderabad hospital after his condition deteriorated on Saturday.

Rao is on an indefinite fast to demand for a separate state for Telangana.

The city witnessed some violent acitivities on Saturday after which the party called for a two-day bandh in the region.

Doctors at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences as well as KCR’s personal physician M V Rao tried to shift him to the ICU after midnight, but he refused to move.

However, with the sodium levels in his body dropping significantly, doctors shifted him to the ICU at around 1400 hrs IST on Saturday. He is being administered saline and other fluids.

Praja Rajyam Party president K Chiranjeevi called on Rao at the NIMS and appealed to him to end his indefinite fast.

“He has, however, rejected my plea and said he would continue his fast till the Telangana statehood issue is resolved,” Chiranjeevi told reporters.

Chiranjeevi appealed to the state and Central governments to immediately take an appropriate decision on Telangana.

The Politburo of TRS, which had an emergency meeting on Saturday in Hyderabad, called a 48-hour bandh across the region from Monday.

The Joint Action Committee of Telangana Students Unions also stepped up its stir seeking a separate state. For the third day in a row, the agitating students laid siege to the residences of Congress ministers, MPs and MLAs in various districts of Andhra Pradesh.

The students also burnt the effigies of Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy, Chief Minister K Rosaiah and other leaders at different places.

Meanwhile, the ministers hailing from Telangana once again held a meeting in the chambers of Home Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy at the Secretariat in Hyderabad on Saturday and decided to write a letter to AICC chief Sonia Gandhi explaining the prevailing situation in Telangana.

Though the ministers initially wanted to personally meet Sonia Gandhi, they dropped the move following a request from the Chief Minister.

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president D Srinivas said he would leave for New Delhi on Monday to apprise Sonia Gandhi of the ongoing struggle for Telangana and the need for taking an urgent decision on the statehood demand.