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KCR may undertake 
fast-unto-death 
for Telangana cause

HYDERABAD — Even as the ‘People’s Agitation’ entered the eighth day with Telangana remaining paralysed for the second consecutive day on Tuesday on account of the strike by the public transport employees demanding carving of a separate Telangana state, indications are that Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President K Chandrasekhara Rao might once again undertake a fast-unto-death if the UPA government fails to announce immediately an initiative to resolve the burning problem.

KCR, as the TRS leader is popularly known, went into a huddle with party leaders to discuss his proposal of fast-unto-death, which separate statehood protagonists believe would bring immense pressure on the Centre and the Congress High Command to give in to their demand. It was KCR’s fast-unto-death in November, 2009, which forced Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to announce on December 9 that year that the Centre would initiate steps for the bifurcation of the state.

The TRS chief’s son and legislator, K T Rama Rao hinted to mediapersons that a decision on the proposed fast would be announced later in the day. KCR’s daughter K Kavitha, who is also the president of the party’s cultural wing, said would welcome the fast-unto-death by KCR if he so desired. “However, as a daughter of KCR, I don’t want him to go on fast in view of his poor health,” she said.

Meanwhile, over 50,000 employees of the state-owned Road Transport Corporation (RTC), undeterred by government threats that they would have to face consequences under provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), continued to stay away from work and in the process paralysing public transport in the region for the second consecutive day. Over 10,000 buses remained inside the 89 depots in Hyderabad and in nine other Telangana districts and the employees unions claimed that not a single bus had left any depot for the second day.

RTC Managing Director Prasada Rao, who is part of the Task Force set up by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to monitor the public transport strike, said the agitation by RTC employees was causing a loss of Rs70 million 
per day.

The strike, which is causing severe inconvenience to commuters in Hyderabad as all city bus services have been suspended, however, has come as a boon for private vehicles, cabs and autorickshaws who are charging exorbitant fares.

news@khaleejtimes.com