Indefinite Hunger Strike Continues For Second Day

New Delhi: YSR Congress Party MPs are continuing their relentless fight for Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh. It is a known fact that immediately after the Parliament was adjourned sine die yesterday, the YSRCP MPs submitted their resignations to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and went directly to AP Bhavan to take up indefinite hunger strike.

As part of the indefinite hunger strike, the MPs continued their protest before the Ambedkar Statue in AP Bhavan premises on the second day. Of the five fasting MPs, Nellore MP Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy fell ill. After the doctor conducted tests on him, he was advised against continuing his fast. But Mekapati did not heed doctor's words and continued with his fast.

Talking to the media at the AP Bhavan, Mekapati accused Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu of staging a new drama. He observed that over the last four years when AP was facing injustice, the CM did not react, but was creating a big scene with the all-party meet now. He asserted that the TDP chief was not sincere towards SCS to AP. It was only the YSRCP President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy who had been championing the cause of SCS to AP right from the time that the undivided state of AP was bifurcated hastily in 2014.

Another YSRCP MP who is also part of the indefinite hunger strike in Delhi said that for YSRCP, AP's welfare was priority and is above everything else. He asserted that they would continue their fast until the Centre gives in to their demands.

"We have stood by our word and resigned soon after the Parliament session ended.The fact is that the state can develop only if only

SCS is granted. For the future of the state and its people, we are ready to do anything," Tirupati MP Varaprasad said.

Avinash Reddy, who is also one among the MPs on hunger strike, said we would fight like soldiers until the SCS is granted to the state. He demanded that the central government fulfill all the promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act along with granting SCS to AP. "Until the Centre yields to our demands we will continue our fight."

YSRCP MP Midhun Reddy said that TDP leaders were staging fake protests to dilute seriousness of the SCS issue. MLAs Srikanth Reddy, Narayana Swamy, Suneel and Musthafa were present at the venue of indefinite hunger strike to express their solidarity.