Activists of the Telugu Desam Party observed mass hunger strike in different parts of south coastal Andhra Pradesh on Sunday in protest against the alleged undemocratic arrest of TDP national president and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in connection with the Skill Development Scam case.
Amid beefed up security, the activists hit the streets defying prohibtory orders in force. They raised slogans against the YSR Congress Party Government, demanding withdrawal of the ‘foisted’ case and immediate release of their leader. They carried placards reading ‘We stand with CBN’ under the trying circumstances.
Leading the protest in Nellore, TDP city president Kotamreddy Srinivasulu Reddy took strong objection to the pre-dawn arrest of the TDP supremo in a ‘politically-motivated’ case while he was in the thick of party programme ‘‘Babu Surety - Bhavisyathuku Guarantee’‘ in Nandyal.
In Ongole, the activists shifted the venue of the protest from the NTR Circle to the party office as the police anticipating law and order problem, disallowed the gathering of activists in large numbers at the Addanki bus stand centre. Police threw a security blanket at the NTR Circle as also other important junctions in the city to thwart protests by TDP cadre.
Police placed under house arrest for the second day key TDP leaders including Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, P. Narayana and TDP Ongole Lok Sabha unit president N. Balaji as also suspended YSR Congress Party MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy.
Mr. Narayana alleged that the YSRCP government had hatched a conspiracy’ to tarnish the image of Mr. Naidu unable to digest his growing popularity ahead of the general election, in an old case not needing his arrest now. People would teach a fitting lesson at the time of polls to the YSRCP, the former Minister said.
