Telangana Congress Leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka Continues Fast On Merger Row

Hyderabad: The Telangana Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka’s indefinite fast over what he calls the “undemocratic” merger of 12 Congress MLAs with the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) entered the second day on Sunday. He started a 36-hour fast on Saturday but later turned it into an indefinite fast to exert pressure on Assembly Speaker P. Srinivas Reddy to disqualify the 12 MLAs who defected to the TRS.

Congress leaders have termed as “undemocratic” the action of the Speaker in merging the 12 Congress MLAs with the TRS Legislature Party. Another leader and former Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah joined Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka in the indefinite fast on Sunday. The Speaker, on June 6, had recognised the merger of 12 legislators, hours after they met him and made a request. Congress party leaders have alleged that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao had given a killer blow to democracy in the state by encouraging defections. (IANS)

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