The Anantapur police put several Telugu Desam Party leaders under house arrest on Saturday to prevent them from participating in a dharna and rally from Gummagatta to B.T. Project in Rayadurgam. The police also foiled Paritala Sriram’s attempt to go to Gondipalli to oppose fixing of energy meters to agriculture connections. The arrested leaders included former ministers Kalava Sinivasulu and Paritala Sunitha and former MLA Vykuntham Prabhakar Chowdhary.
Police pickets were set up in front of the house of Paritala Sriram and Sunitha at Anantapur and in Venkatapuram village, confining Mr. Sriram to house arrest from the early hours of Saturday. Kalava Srinivasulu was confined to his house in Rayadurg town and Mr. Prabhakar Chowdary was not allowed to move out of his house in Ramnagar at Anantapur.
Mr. Srinivasulu took strong objection to the police personnel entering his house and not allowing him to go out to participate in a rally “in a democratic manner”. He sat on a dharna in front of his house in Rayadurg where a large number of cadres gathered. Mr. Sriram too sat on a dharna in front of his house leading to high tension at both places for some time at noon.
The TDP is questioning the government’s lack of action in completion of the Bhairavanithippa Irrigation Project and its “indifference” to the problems of the groundnut farmers, who had lost their crop. The leaders faulted the government for thrusting an additional burden on farmers by fixing meters to the agriculture pump sets.
