Babu breaks fast, struggle continues

Bowing to the pressure mounted on him by national leaders, Telugu Desam Party President N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday ended his hunger strike which he had launched to press the government to revise its relief package for rain-hit farmers.

Mr Naidu withdrew his fast by accepting coconut water given by the visiting leaders.

Leaders Vaiko, Thambi Durai, Arunkumar, Amba Durai, Maitreya, Prakash Karat, Bardan, Om Prakash Choutala, Sharad Yadav and Ajit Singh had persuaded Mr Naidu to drop his fast.

The leaders assured Mr Naidu to bring the issue to the notice of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by taking an all-party delegation to New Delhi, for which Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy also agreed, seeking additional relief to distressed farmers. 

The leaders said they would extend full support and cooperation to the farmers’ cause at the national level.

Earlier, on Thursday, Mr Naidu was moved forcibly by the police to the Intensive Care Unit in NIMS hospital after doctors said that his condition was deteriorating.

After shifting Mr Naidu to ICU, the doctors forcibly administered intravenous fluids to him.

The Leader of Opposition’s main demand has been that the state government increase the compensation for farmers whose crops were destroyed this year by heavy and unseasonal rains.

Earlier, the Andhra Pradesh government enhanced the input subsidy from Rs 4,500 to Rs 6,000 per hectare to farmers who lost their crops in the recent rains in the state.

The government had also announced waiver of interest on farm loans disbursed this season, resulting in a relief of Rs 350 crore to distressed farmers.

However, Mr Naidu expressed displeasure over the "measly relief" and demanded that the government grant an input subsidy of Rs 10,000 per acre.