Telangana issue singes Andhra, KCR stable

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh burns over demands for statehood to Telangana even as Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President K Chandrashekhar Rao's hunger strike entered 11th day on Wednesday.

Andhra Pradesh government has shut down all universities, colleges and hostels in the region till December 19 to pre-empt the Assembly Chalo (march to the Assembly) rally called by the TRS and the students unions on Wednesday.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 have also been clamped in all the 10 districts of the region from 1800 hrs IST to prevent Telangana supports from continuing with their agitation.

There has been heavy deployment of security forces in Telangana region including Hyderabad with authorities having called in 8,000 policemen. Rapid Action Force and Central Reserve Police Force platoons have also been deployed in the region.

Security forces have also set up check points at all entry points in Hyderabad to prevent Telangana supporters from entering the city.

Meanwhile, KCR's health remained stable but doctors attending him at the state-run Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad said that his immunity level remains very low due to the hunger strike.

Doctors say his pulse and sugar levels are stable but he is now vulnerable to infection even though he has been accepting IV fluids since Tuesday afternoon.

KCR's deteriorating health has put more pressure on the Congress over demands of a separate Telangana.

Andhra Chief Minister K Rosaiah will be coming to New Delhi on Wednesday to meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi and discuss the Telangana issue.

Sources say Sonia may call for a high level meeting of the party to resolve the issue.

The Telangana statehood issue also rocked Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday after TRS demanded a discussion on the issue and created a ruckus in the House.

TRS MLAs demanded that the Assembly take up their adjournment motion and an official resolution to carve out a separate Telangana state out of Andhra Pradesh be moved.

However, after MLAs did not allow the Assembly to function for a long time, Speaker Kiran Kumar Reddy adjourned the House for one day.

(With inputs from Preeti Singh)