Lagadapati ends his fast ‘drama’
Deccan Chronicle, December 23rd 2009, By Our Correspondent
Hyderabad, Dec. 22: In yet another surprise act, the Vijayawada Congress MP, Mr Lagadapati Rajagopal, suddenly broke his fast on Tuesday afternoon and got discharged from Nims claiming that all his theatrics was meant to expose the Telangana Rashtra Samiti president, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s “fake hunger strike”.
The 55-year-old MP, who literally sprinted into the Nims and got himself admitted there on Monday, also said that his fast was actually broken on December 19 itself when police shifted him to the Vijayawada government hospital and doctors there administered him saline.
According to him, his overnight journey from Vijayawada, the dramatic appearance at Nims in an autorickshaw, and the headlong run into the hospital were all meant to draw attention to the farce enacted by Mr Chandrasekhar Rao.
“Though KCR’s fast was broken on the first day itself after doctors administered saline, he pretended to continue it in Nims and Khammam government while taking IV fluids,” said the MP. “This type of fast can be undertaken even for years. That is why I also took IV fluids. But my conscience troubled me.”
The MP, who had been ridiculed for his stamina” after a seven-day fast, said he had in fact lost seven kilos.
“KCR’s fast was not exposed by the media or the government though there was nothing Gandhian about it,” said Mr Rajagopal.
“In fact, he fasted just for a day. I fasted for five days and seven hours. I was also provoked by the statements of some politicians who threatened dire consequences if I came to the Nims. So I did all this, and proved my points.”
The MP agreed that his antics had a touch of comedy, but added that Mr Chandrasekhar Rao’s fast was also a comedy. “My comic actions were all meant to expose KCR,” he said.
But Mr Rajagopal also threatened to restart his fast in Vishakapatnam if the Central government did not come out in favour of united Andhra.
Meanwhile, the MP’s antics have angered the leaders of the Joint Action Committee for the United Andhra Pradesh agitation who felt that it had done much damage to the cause. Many of them said that Mr Rajagopal’s theatrics might persuade the Centre not to take the movement seriously.
“Though Mr. Rajagopal had initially brought momentum to the agitation, his acts while going to Nims has damaged the agitation,” said Mr Kona Tata Rao, Telugu Desam leader who launched a fast-unto-death in Visakhapatnam, opposing the formation of separate Telangana state.
“It did look like a comedy show though his intention was to highlight the failures in the administration,” said Mr M. Murali Krishna, a retired bank official who is actively participating in the movement.
However, some Congress leaders defended Mr Rajagopal’s act saying that it helped to expose the poor medical and health infrastructure in the state.
“It would not have taken place if he was allowed to move freely in Hyderabad,” said Mr G. Sridhar Reddy, supporter of united Andhra Pradesh and CEO of Millennium Software, a Visakhapatnam-based firm.
... leaves all behind to sprint to Nims in style
HYDERABAD: As president of the AP Olympic Association, Lagadapati Rajagopal knows his sport well. And that may not be politics. On the eighth day of his 'fast', 45-year-old Rajagopal effortlessly ran into Nims on Monday afternoon, ending his 15-hour vanishing act since Sunday night. He headed straight for the Acute Medical Care unit and, as cameras clicked, jumped on a clean bed that seemed to have been awaiting his arrival. Lying straight on his back, Rajagopal closed his eyes and kept one hand on his chest.
The MP entered Nims from its rear gate on Road No. 1, Banjara Hills, and eye witnesses claimed that an auto dropped him outside the main wing of Nims. To avoid detection, he had discarded the white kurta-pyjama he was wearing when he left the government hospital in Vijayawada. Instead, he made his dramatic entry in a navy blue shirt, a black jacket and grey trousers even as media crews ran after him to catch this act of political daredevilry.
The Nims management, which has by now perfected the art of treating politicians on 'fast' since the KCR drama, brought out its team of specialists who were treating the TRS chief. This team too would be headed by general medicine specialist Dr V R Srinivasan along with doctors from cardiology and nephrology.
By late evening, hospital authorities said that Rajagopal had jaundice. Doctors said Rajagopal's condition was stable and he was on IV fluids. He was subjected to routine investigations too.
The tension at Nims was palpable, much the way it was during KCR's 'fast'. As all the gates were closed, patients and their attendants had to, once again, face the brunt. Staffers at Nims claimed that the hospital authorities were doubtful of Lagadapati's admission. But they had kept a bed vacant both at the emergency medicine department as well as Acute Medical Care. An arrangement that Lagadapati was possibly aware of. "The hospital director Dr D Prasada Rao had asked the doctors to be ready," said a Nims staffer.
There were speculations that the Vijayawada MP would be shifted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, so as to avoid tension in the city, but doctors at Nims denied it. They said that Nims was a statewide institute and giving treatment to a person from one region (referring to KCR) and not Rajagopal would become a problem in itself.
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