BJP to intensify stir on Babli issue

Hyderabad, Apr 28 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party will intensify its stir against the 'illegal' Babli project taken up by Maharashtra while the 'fast-unto-death'' by its National Secretary N Indirasena Reddy entered the sixth day today.

Informing this at a press conference here, Party state president Bandaru Dattatreya said Mr Reddy, who has been shifted to the Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences, would not give up his fast as the Congress Government in the state and the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre were 'indifferent' to the 'burning problem' of the people of the Telangana region with Maharashtra going ahead with the Babli project in gross violation of the Bachawat Tribunal award.

The BJP would step up agitation by organising hunger strikes in the Telangana region in support of the fasting party leader till justice was rendered to the region's people dependent on river Godavari for drinking and irrigation purposes.

Disputing state Major Irrigation Minister P Lakshmaiah's contention that the state's interest would not be affected on the issue, he demanded that an all-party meeting be convened to finalise the state's future course of action.

Ridiculing the ruling Congress, which was in power at the Centre, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, for organising bandh in the state and dharna in front of Parliament, former Union Minister Ch Vidyasagar Rao urged the Centre to act immediately.

''If the ruling Congress is sincere, it should at least file a petition in the Supreme Court to form a committee to oversee the implementation of its directions to Maharashtra and observe ground realities,'' Mr Rao demanded.

UNI