No conspiracy behind Babu's arrest, shifting: Sabitha

Home Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy on Monday ruled out any conspiracy in getting Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu shifted to the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Science. She further denied that there was any mistake on the part of the police officials and supported them saying that they acted as per the direction of the government.

Expressing concern over the health condition of the TDP leader, Ms Indra Reddy said it was the government's duty and responsibility to safeguard the interest of the Opposition Leader. Only after consulting the doctors, did the government intervene in shifting the Mr Naidu to the NIMS, she said.

The Home Minister appealed to Mr Naidu to accept the treatment and cooperate with the government. If he is keen on seeing the farmers' interest protected, he could cooperate with the government to see that the farmers received the package, she said.

Ms Indra Reddy also made clear that no one need to politicise the farmers' package and urged Mr Naidu to end the stir and cooperate with the administration in the larger interests of the state.

Earlier, the deteriorating health condition of opposition leader Mr Naidu at New MLA Quarters forced the state government to arrest him and shifting to NIMS on the advice of his family doctor and cardiologist B Somaraju.

Informing this to media persons at his chambers in the Secretariat, Minister for Medical and Health Services DL Ravindra Reddy, appealed to the TDP leader to end his agitation, saying that the best of packages has been announced by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy for the farmers.

Further maintaining that the farmers' life is like a 'lamp in the air', the Minister said that right from the beginning till the crop fell into his hands, the farmer is uncertain whether he could take home the whole produce .

By and large, that is the plight of the poor farmers and the government considering the parameters, situations and weaknesses of the farmers has given a good package and is helpless to further revise it.

Mentioning that Mr Naidu himself was the chief minister and he knew pretty well what were the limitations of the state government and the package the Chief Minister offered to the farmers was also well known.

The Minister also said that he would visit the NIMS hospital and discuss the farmers' issue again with Mr Naidu, keeping in view his health condition, which is uppermost in 'our mind' and urged the TDP leader to give up the fast immediately, as the former chief minister was understood to have refused to take saline also to continue the fast in the hospital.

Replying to a question whether the government is prepared to face a No Confidence Motion on the Floor of the House, the Minister said that they would welcome it as there would be lot of scope to explain to the people, how the government reacted and announced the package.

To attack Mr Naidu sarcastically, Mr Ravindra said that this is one ploy for the Opposition to achieve certain demands.

The Minister also claimed that the package announced was the best and historical as it was announced in the light of farmers' unprecedented losses suffered in the recent floods.  Even the Central and State governments have tried to announced the maximum benefit that they could do, Mr Ravindra said.