TDP call Bandh in AP, Chandrababu Naidu admitted to hospital

Telugu Desam Party president Chandrababu Naidu was forcibly shifted to hospital this morning as his health condition deteriorated due to his protest fast. Naidu's blood sugar level is believed to have dropped on Sunday night, forcing the government to act and shift him to the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences. The TDP chief has been fasting since Friday to demand more compensation for farmers who had lost their crop in the recent rains. The party workers, who shouted slogans against the government as Naidu was being shifted, have called for a bandh in the state today. Chandrababu Naidu, had decided to go on an indefinite hunger strike in protest against the ''inadequate relief package announced by the state government for farmers who lost their crop in the recent rains.
Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Kiran Kumar Reddy, and Chandrababu Naidu have been having a duel over farmers' relief package over the past few days. Last Monday, Naidu had staged a dharna at Goshamahal police stadium outside the Assembly in Hyderabad to focus on issues concerning farmers. On Thursday last week, the Andhra Pradesh government enhanced the input subsidy from Rs. 4,500 to Rs. 6,000 per hectare to farmers who lost their crops in the recent rains in the state. The government had also announced waiver of interest on farm loans disbursed this season, resulting in a relief of Rs. 350 crore to distressed farmers. Announcing these measures in the Assembly, Chief Minister Kiran Reddy said the hike in input subsidy would provide relief to farmers who lost crops like paddy, sugarcane and cotton in over 10 lakh hectares.