Byreddy on 96-hour Melukolupu Deeksha

Telugu Desam Party general secretary and Rayalaseema Parirakshana Samiti president Byreddy Rajasekhar Reddy has called upon people in the region to ensure that Rayalaseema is not divided.

The TDP leader launched his 96-hour fast, ‘Melukolupu Deeksha’, at Sri Krishnadevaraya statue, here on Saturday demanding that either the state should remain united or separate Rayalaseema should be formed.

He said he was ready to quit the TDP if it worked against the interests of Rayalaseema or if it tried to dilute the agitation.

Rajasekhara Reddy said the camp aimed at enlightening people and elected representatives on the issue.

He urged the Congress, TDP, YSRC, BJP and Lok Satta leaders in the region to write letters to their party leadership on statehood to Rayalaseema.

He said he was agitating only as a resident of the region but not under pressure from any political party.

K Venkata Subba Reddy, Rayalaseema Rythu Sangham president C Dasaratha Rami Reddy, former MLA ML Rami Reddy, former MLC MB Siva Reddy, Rayalaseema Janata Party founder Satyanarayana Gupta, BJP district unit president Nagaraju Yadav, Forward Block Party national leader Muralidhar Pande and other leaders  also took part in the hunger strike.

Pro-Rayalaseema activists, representatives of various student unions, Non-Governmental Organisations  based in Anantapur, Kurnool, Kadapa and Chittoor districts expressed their solidarity with the leaders staging the deeksha.