The fasting Congress MP Lagadapati Rajagopal, who shocked the police machinery by "disappearing" from the Government General Hospital in Vijayawada on Sunday night, succeeded in getting the government concede his demand for shifting him to the super speciality Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad.
After remaining clueless about his whereabouts for 12 hours, the Government said on Monday morning that it had no problem to treat him in the NIMS if he was keen on that. Mr. Rajagopal, who was on fast-unto-death for seven days on the issue of unified Andhra Pradesh, refused to undergo medical treatment in the GGH in Vijayawada unless he was shifted either to the NIMS or his fasting camp in the city.
"We're worried about his health. We have no problem to shifting him to the NIMS. He can either go to the NIMS on his own or come back to us so that we will escort him and admit him there," said Minister K. Parthasarathy, after reviewing the situation with Krishna District Collector Peeyush Kumar, Commissioner of Police K.V. Rajendranath Reddy and Mr. Rajagopal's wife Padma.
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Mr. Parthasarathy said that the Government felt that the treatment required for Mr. Rajagopal could be arranged in a corporate hospital in Guntur district instead of taking him to the NIMS. He dismissed allegations of discrimination between Telangana leaders and Andhra leaders when it came to treating them in NIMS.
The Police Commissioner clarified that Mr. Rajagopal was "not arrested" as the registration of the case under Sec. 309 of the IPC (attempt to commit suicide) was only a legal formality. The police would not book any case relating to the MP's escape from the hospital, he assured.