Hyderabad,Dec 19: Why was the Vijayawada Member of Parliament Lagadapati Rajagopal shifted forcibly to a hospital from his indefinite hunger-strike camp at PWD Grounds on Saturday morning? Did his health take a sudden turn for the worse so much so that the police had to immediately shift him to hospital? Or was it because he faced a serious threat to his life from Maoists? Rumours are afloat in that the MP was shifted to a hospital not because of any any danger to his life but that he faced threat from Maoists.According to credible police sources, the Vijayawada MP, who is on fast opposing the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, has evoked the ire of Maoists who want a division of the State.
A unit of the elite anti-Naxal squad, Greyhounds, has been dispatched to the MP’s constituency for his protection. According to informed sources, the MP was shifted to the hospital as it would be easier to protect him from attacks by the Maoists at the hospital rather than the hunger-strike camp. Apart from this, additional personnel from Andhra Pradesh Special Police and Armed Reserve forces have been deployed in large numbers to maintain law and order.The police do not deny nor accept reports of a Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) member from Vikarabad, Mahipal Reddy having put Rs 50 lakh on Rajagopal’s head. The offer was telecast on a television channel based on which former Vijayawada MLA Adusumilli Jayaprakash filed a petition with the State Human Rights Commission.