KCR flip-flop draws supporters ire

Telangana Rashtra Samiti TRS president K Chandrasekhara Rao,who broke his fast-unto-death on Monday,is now facing the ire from within...

Telangana Rashtra Samiti TRS president K Chandrasekhara Rao,who broke his fast-unto-death on Monday,is now facing the ire from within his party,whose workers have and dared him to come out in public. Besides his party workers and pro-Telangana activists,leaders of other parties are also questioning the damage caused to public and private property by KCRs drama that lasted less than 48 hours.

On Tuesday,KCRs aides came out of the Khammam Government General Hospital and said the TRS chief attempted to commit suicide with a shred of glass after breaking a windowpane. But Khammam police immediately dismissed it. Nothing of the sort happened. He tried to leave the hospital saying he wanted to go to court to present his case as he wanted to be shifted to Hyderabad,but he was prevented. He has restarted his fast after drinking juice last night. He is stable at present, said Khammam SP Anil Kumar.

KCR had started the fast in Khammam sub-jail after being arrested hours before he was supposed to begin the fast for a separate Telangana state in Medak on Sunday.

Following his arrest,angry TRS workers and pro-Telangana activists called for a bandh on Monday and unleashed violence in Hyderabad,Warangal,Nalgonda and Medak districts. TRS protesters torched several state transport buses,private vehicles,smashed windscreens of cars and terrorised occupants on Monday. One TRS activist who immolated himself died while two others are battling for their lives.

By Monday night,even as protests and violence threatened to go out of control,news trickled in that KCR had broken his fast; his party workers were aghast to see TV channels showing him sipping orange juice. Though KCR claimed the police forcibly shifted him to the hospital,where he was put on intravenous drip and forced to gulp down the juice,nobody was in the mood to buy his version.

On Tuesday morning,anger against the government for arresting KCR turned to ire against the party chief and his workers and Telangana activists were daring him to come out in public. KCRs son K Taraka Rama Rao was heckled by TRS workers when he emerged from the hospital after meeting KCR.

Actress and Medak MP Vijayashanti said she was surprised that KCR gave in so easily at a time when his supporters were immolating themselves for him and the Telangana cause. This entire episode has turned out to be embarrassing and will backfire on the party, she said.

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On Tuesday,KCRs aides claimed he had begun his fast again but no one was willing to believe this. Students of Osmania University who staged violent demonstrations on Monday termed KCR a cheat and drunkard,who let the Telangana movement down for a glass of juice.

How can the police force you to drink juice unless you open your mouth? He chickened out in less than 40 hours. If he could not keep his word why did he take an oath that he would fight to the finish? asked Praveen Reddy,campus-in-charge of TRS Vidhyarthi Vibhag TRSV.