Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Thursday expressed his inability to avail the services of the Delhi police to help Andhra Bhavan authorities evict Telugu Desam Party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, who is on the fourth day of his fast here.
This, even as more than 2,000 TDP cadre are expected to leave for Delhi from Vijayawada on Friday to extend support to Mr. Naidu.
The Centre could help if the AP Bhavan authorities moved the civil court with a complaint of “trespass” against Mr. Naidu, and came out with an eviction order, he told journalists.
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The Home Minister described as strange the fast undertaken by Mr. Naidu, adding that this was perhaps the first time that a former Chief Minister was holding a fast on the premises of a State government guest house.
Meanwhile, on his fourth day of his fast on Thursday, the TDP chief was greeted by Punjab Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) president Prakash Singh Badal and Yoga guru Ramdev.
While the TDP blamed Congress and the YSR Congress of “match-fixing” on the Telangana issue, the YSRC in turn blamed the Congress of having a secret understanding with the TDP. This was why Mr. Naidu was allowed to use the government guest house for his protest.
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Congress leaders from Seemandhra are meanwhile blaming the TDP and the YSRC, claiming that the decision to carve out Telangana would not have been initiated by the Congress leadership or the UPA government, had it not been for the letters of support given by the two regional parties.