HYDERABAD: Indira Park which has been a venue for several pro-Telangana protests witnessed pro-Samaikyandhra chants by hundreds of Seemandhra activists and government employees as four of the six MPs from the region began a fast here on Friday. The Seemandhra MPs began the hunger strike on a day when the state Assembly resumed its winter session to debate the AP Reorganisation Bill 2013. MPs Harsha Kumar and Lagadapati Rajagopal began the fast. In the afternoon, their two colleagues, Sabbam Hari and Rayapati joined them.

Sabbam Hari, Lagadapati, Harsha Kumar and Rayapati Sambasiva Rao said that their 'Sankalpa Deeksha' would go on until the Assembly was adjourned for the day on Saturday. The MPs said they would take only water during the fast in the night. Two other MPs, A Sai Pratap and Vundavalli Arun Kumar, are expected to join the fast on Saturday.

Since all the MPs are branded as CM's men, many supporters of Kiran Kumar Reddy visited them to express their solidarity. They included Rajya Sabha MP KVP Ramachandra Rao, ministers TG Venkatesh, Pitani Satyanarayana, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Anam Ramnarayan Reddy, Erasu Pratap Reddy, K Partha Sarathy, Vatti Vasant Kumar, Galla Aruna Kumari, chairman of 20 point economic programme Tulsi Reddy and MLAs Routu Surya Prakash Rao and Dronamraju Srinivas. Lagadapati said their fast was to express their solidarity with MLAs from the region who were demanding that the Assembly adopt a resolution opposing the division of the state.

The MPs urged the Seemandhra legislators to defeat the T Bill on theHouse floor to prevent Centre from going ahead with the bifurcation. "If the bill is defeated, it would lead to a moral crisis for the Centre ahead of the tabling of the Bill in Parliament," he said.