Hyderabad/New Delhi: Amid the political drama in Andhra Pradesh, police have put up notice outside former chief minister and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu’s residence, saying that the father and son duo will be under house arrest for the next 24 hours. The officers said that the move is to maintain law and order.
A large contingent of police, including several DSPs, tied the main entrance gate of Naidu’s riverfront residence with ropes on and also shut other gates on Wednesday to prevent him from coming out. Talking to reporters inside the compound, the former Chief Minister termed the police action as “atrocious” and “unprecedented in history.”
The day had begun with police laying seige to the TDP president’s residence on the Krishna river bank. Both Naidu and his son Lokesh were not allowed to come out, following which the latter picked up an argument with the police officials.
Vijayawada MP Kesineni Srinivas (Nani) and Rajya Sabha member K Ravindra Kumar were detained by the police on the Prakasam Barrage as they tried to proceed towards Naidu’s house. Telugu Desam Deputy Leader K Atchannaidu, who managed to reach Naidu’s residence area on a two-wheeler, was stopped from going in and later taken into custody.
In Vijayawada city, police barged into the five-star hotel room, where former minister Bhuma Akhila Priya was staying, and took her into custody. Several other leaders were either placed under house arrest or taken into custody by police.
Simultaneously, some leaders of the ruling YSR Congress were also detained in Guntur as they too gave a call for a similar programme as a counter to the TDP. The TDP chief wanted to lead a group of people belonging to Palnadu region of Guntur district to a village called Atmakuru. “I have planned to go to Atmakuru to drop the villagers who were driven out by YSRC men and police back in their village.
This is not an agitation but solidarity with the people who are victims of political factionism,” Naidu said. Alleging that the TDP was only seeking to create a scene using “paid artists,” the YSRC too gave a call for ‘Chalo Atmakuru’ but police denied permission to both sides and clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 Cr P C. A large police force has been deployed in Atmakuru and also in Palnadu region to prevent untoward incidents.