The Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly on Wednesday appealed to the Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K Chandrasekhara Rao to end his fast unto death in view of his deteriorating health.
The appeal was made by Speaker N Kiran Kumar Reddy after TRS members forced the House's adjournment twice in the morning demanding the immediate passing of a resolution in support of Telangana.
Earlier, Chief Minister K Rosaiah and Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu also made a similar appeal to KCR to end his indefinite fast which has entered the 11th day.
Conveying the House's sentiments on the matter, Kiran Kumar Reddy said the state has already lost a great leader in the death of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash and it should not lose another great leader like KCR. "He should end his fast, and render service to the people and the nation. This is the wish of the House," he said.
Rosaiah said the government has repeatedly appealed to Rao to withdraw his fast. "Your health is important not only to your party and the people but it was also the duty of the government to protect your health. Please help us in discharging our duty," he said.
The chief minister, while rejecting the demand for the immediate passing of a resolution, said it was not such a simple matter and the TRS should give time to the central government to come up with a solution. "The government is not asleep and it is alert to the situation," he said.
He reminded the TRS that it was party to the decisions in the assembly's business advisory committee that the drought and flood will get top priority for discussions.
He said the people expect the assembly to sit peacefully and discuss problems to find a solution. He appealed to the people of all regions to maintain calm and peace and not to get angry, as anger was not going to solve any problem.
He asked the TRS whether it will be enough to pass a resolution when nothing came out of such resolutions on various issues in the past, including reservation for women and the categorisation of Dalits.
Naidu, urging KCR to pay heed to the appeals, promised that the Telugu Desam Party will support the resolution on Telangana whenever the government tables it in the House.
However, when the TRS members continued to stall the proceedings demanding that the resolution be tabled immediately, the speaker adjourned the House for the day.
Earlier, leader of the House Dr J Geeta Reddy announced that the government was ready for a debate on Telangana on Thursday but the TRS members insisted that it should be taken up immediately in view of KCR's critical condition and the palpable tension in Telangana.
Meanwhile, regional differences within the Congress party came to the fore in the state assembly lobby when the government's chief whip Bhatti Vikramarka Rao and former minister R Damodar Reddy indulged in a wordy duel in the chief minister's presence. While Reddy was seeking the signature of Congress MLAs from Telangana to a letter addressed to party president Sonia Gandhi seeking her support, Vikramarka objected to it.
At this juncture, some legislators from Rayalaseema region raised slogans of 'Jai Rayalaseema'.
On the other hand, two ministers from Hyderabad, D Nagendar and M Mukesh, said they were would write a letter to Gandhi seeking Union territory to the capital city.
