Hyderabad: Senior Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao called off his indefinite hunger strike on the fourth day on Thursday after the All India Congress Committee (AICC) Telangana in charge Manickam Tagore convinced Rao to withdraw his fast.
Rao went on an indefinite hunger strike demanding the reinstallation of the Dr. B R Ambedkar statue that was seized by the GHMC officials.
Tagore advised Rao to call off the hunger strike given his deteriorating health and made him drink lemon juice.
This comes after a Congress delegation led by Tagore visited Rao at his residence where the leader was observing the indefinite hunger strike, because of his deteriorating health condition, and spoke to him about the issue.
Speaking to Media, Manickam Tagore said, “Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, is not handling the issue of Dr. B R Ambedkar’s statue appropriately. For the last three days, despite being 70 years old, V. Hanumantha Rao has been on an indefinite hunger strike. The entire Congress party will stand with Rao and will take this fight ahead.”
He further said that the Congress delegation has explained to V Hanumantha Rao that during the ongoing COVID pandemic, it is not good to hold hunger strikes and have requested him to call off the hunger strike.
He further told that he would make sure that this issue is brought to the notice of Congress National President Sonia Gandhi.
Rao alleged that the father of the Indian Constitution Dr B R Ambedkar is being insulted by the TRS government. Speaking to the reporters here yesterday, Rao said, “Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao must remember that it is because of the Constitution written by Dr. B R Ambedkar, that a separate Telangana state has been possible.”
He said that if K Chandrashekhar Rao does not come forward to reinstall the seized statue of Dr. B R Ambedkar, then that would leave a bad impression of him. Further speaking, V Hanumantha Rao said that even YS Sharmila, the sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, must also take up the issue.
Rao had launched the hunger strike demanding restoration of the Ambedkar statue at Punjagutta on April 13, two days before Dr. BR Ambedkar’s birth anniversary.