The health of the five YSR Congress Party MPs, who are on the sixth day of their hunger strike protesting against the Centre not according the state Special Category Status, deteriorated further on Wednesday. All five of them have been hospitalised in New Delhi.
The MPs – V Vara Prasada Rao, YV Subba Reddy, PV Midhun Reddy, YS Avinash Reddy and Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy – submitted their resignation on April 6, in protest against the Centre backtracking on its promise, and went on an indefinite hunger strike on the same day at Andhra Bhavan, New Delhi.
They are availing treatment at the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital. While Rajamohan Reddy, Subba Reddy and Vara Prasada Rao were hospitalized much earlier, Avinash Reddy and Midhun Reddy were hospitalized on Wednesday.
YSR Congress chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy held a video conference with them on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, in Andhra Pradesh, the party intensified its protests demanding Special Status. Student activists of YSRCP from Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, stripped and lodged a naked protest, raising slogans against the Chandrababu Naidu-led state government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Activists in other parts of the state blocked several trains across the state. Trains were stopped in Ongole, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Eluru, Bhimavaram, Tirupati, Gooty, Kurnool, Kadapa and several other places for at least 20 minutes, before the police arrested YSR Congress party leaders and detained several protestors.
YSRCP activists have staged different kinds of protests across the state, pointing out to the failure of the Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party government and the Centre for not fulfilling the promise of according Special Category Status to AP.
On Tuesday, party leaders had blocked roads in some districts across the state as a mark of protest.
Speaking to TNM, YSR Congress Party spokesperson, Ambati Rambabu, said that they will only intensify the struggle if the Centre doesn’t pay heed to the legitimate demands made to the state.
“Our struggle for Special Category Status will continue until the purpose is achieved,” he said.
He also condemned the arrests of the leaders.