Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu was forcibly evicted by Delhi Police from his fasting venue in A.P. Bhavan and admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital here on Friday evening.
However, TDP leader K. Sivaprasad claimed that Mr. Naidu was continuing his fast in the hospital, for the fifth day, against doctor’s advice. He had lost 4 kg of weight and his sugar level was coming down fast. Mr. Naidu refused to accept intravenous fluids, Mr. Sivaprasad said.
The TDP chief was determined to continue his fast until the UPA government held talks with Seemandhra leaders and amicably settled the Telangana issue, the party leaders here said. A team of doctors, including a cardiologist, has been set up by the hospital to monitor Mr. Naidu’s health.
Meanwhile, Congress leader P. Sudhakar Reddy condemned TDP cadres for indulging in violence in A.P. Bhavan. He claimed that the cadres tore banners and flex boards carrying the pictures of Sonia Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy. “The TDP cannot fool the people by adopting double standards on the Telangana issue,” he said.
In another development, sources in the Election Commission said though Mr. Naidu was on fast on a different issue, it was in violation of the model code in force in poll-bound Delhi as there were chances of his speech influencing the electorate. (Mr. Naidu had been attacking the Congress and the UPA government in his speeches at the fasting venue).
They also pointed out that as early as 1998 the EC had given strict instructions that government guesthouses in Delhi (bhavans) should not be misused for political purpose during poll time. “The A.P. Bhavan authorities have every right to take action in this regard,” they said.