How Mudragada would end his present fast unto death that began Friday morning can’t be speculated now. But his Satyagrahas always end in high drama with a lot of activity in and outside the government.
His fasts create unusual sensation. And Opposition has always benefited from his fast , though temporarily. His latest fast was undertaken in October,2005 when YS Rajasekhar Reddy was chief minister and Chadrababu Naidu was the leader of opposition. The issue that prompted him to begin the fast-unto-death was related the lands, the farmers in 17 mandals of Pratthipadu constituency set to lose under Pushkara and Polavaram projects. He wanted land for land compensation. He began fast from his residence along with his family members with a gun and revolver by his side.
Finally on October 21, 2005 after few hours tense ridden drama, the fast was called off on day nine with an assurance from the YSR government. See the how drama unfolded on the last day i.e. October 21, 2015.
It was a tense day. Chief Minister Rajasekhar Reddy was stubborn as he thought it was the work of Opposition TDP to stall the Polavaram project. So, he was unyielding. Many Congress Kapu leaders were persuading him to help ease the tension.
Mudragada had set 11 am as the deadline for the government’s response. The revolver in his hands and the gun by his side was creating panic among family members, who were also on fast and follower as well as Kapu leaders. The state government had appointed a task force headed by Kakinada MP M M Pallam Raju, to persuade the TDP leader. Pallam Raju visited Kirlampudi and delivered a letter to Mudragada just before 11 a.m.
The letter was signed by the district Collector on behalf of the State Government. By the time Pallam Raju’s team arrived at the residence of Mudragada, he was aiming a revolver and a gun to kill himself. With great difficulty, Congress MLA Thota Gopalakrishna persuaded him to extend the deadline for one hour. He did not allow the Pallam Raju’s delegation come inside his residence. He bolted the from inside. The letter was delivered to him through a window, it is said. After reading the contents, he said he was satisfied and calling off the fast. The task force members offered him and other family members a glass of lemon juice. Everybody heaved a sigh relief.
Whie this was from the Congress side, TDP, to which Mudragada belonged then, also initiated steps to pacify their colleague from taking extreme step of killing himself for farmers’ cause. TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu along with his party senior leaders– Ummareddy Venkateswarlu and Yanamala Ramakrishnudu etc reached Kirlampudi and spoke to Padmanabham from outside the room. Later, Naidu met Mudragada family members, who were also fasting in another room. After the meetings, Naidu admitted that Mudragada could not be convinced as the Government was unyielding in its attitude towards the main demand of the Kapu leader ie land for land.
Immediately, Naidu spoke to the Governor and Chief Minister. He also rushed a delegation of TDP members to Kakinada to apprise the task force and the Collector of the situation. It was at this time, the taks force rushed to Kirlampudi with the letter from the collector. Satisfied with contents he called off the fast and was immediately shifted to a private nursing home at Kakinada around noon.
