Hyderabad:
After trying all of Sunday to convince Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president Chandrababu Naidu to call off his indefinite fast, the police arrested the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister at the crack of dawn on Monday and shifted him to Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) hospital in Hyderabad.
Despite his health condition, Naidu refused to call off his fast. He has been on an hunger strike since Friday demanding a better compensation package for farmers who lost their crop in the recent rains.
"It is true that the crop which was about to be harvested is gone. But it is very difficult to compensate all loss. In the given circumstances, this is the best package. No government can give beyond this package," Andhra Pradesh Health Minister D L Ravindra Reddy said.
Chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has, meanwhile, accused Naidu of undertaking the fast for political gains.
As chief minister, Naidu unveiled the Vision 2020 document in which he had spoken about reducing the number of dependents on agriculture from 70 per cent to 40 per cent and saying no to freebies. This fast is seen as an U-turn on much of that and a bid to win back the farmers' constituency.
"There is no political issue in this. The farmers are not having faith in state and Central governments. I am asking only one question to the chief minister - why everyday 10-15 farmers are committing suicide? Why are you unable to stop?" TDP Parliamentary leader N Nageswara Rao said.
On Tuesday, Jaganmohan Reddy will follow in Naidu's footsteps in Vijayawada, by going on a fast over the same issue. The only difference is that it will be only for 48 hours.