Mala Mahanadu President ends fast

Hyderabad, June 3 (UNI) Jupudi Prabhakara Rao, President of Mala Mahanadu, which is opposing categorisation of the SCs, ended his indefinite fast on the fifth day today, following an assurance from the government that the demands of his organisation would be favourably looked into.

Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) had been demanding the categorisation of the SCs into four categories of A, B, C and D alleging that all the reservations in educational institutions and jobs that were due to Madigas, a sub-sect of the SCs were being usurped by the Malas, another dominant sub-sect of the SCs. However, Mala Mahanadu opposed the separation of the SCs into different groups.

MRPS founder and President Manda Krishna Madiga recently went on an indefinite hunger-strike demanding categorisation and gave it up after the government gave an assurance that it would take up the matter with the Centre. Jupudi Prabhakara Rao of Mala Mahanadu had started his indefinite fast immediately after Mr Krishna Madiga gave it up.

As his health deteriorated, Mr Rao was immediately shifted to the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) by the police this morning, where he continued his fast.

However, after State Social Welfare Minister Subhash Chandra Bose and Minister Chandrasekhar met Mr Rao and talked to him, he gave up his fast.

Talking to newspersons here, Mr Rao said he gave up his fast as the government had conceded his three main demands, including the delegation of their organisation led by some ministers of the state should go to New Delhi and meet the President, Prime Minister and UPA Chairperson and AICC President Ms Sonia Gandhi and explain their cause.

UNI