KUTOKA UDOSINI: Telugu Desam 'strike': Protesters take to streets against Naidu's arrest

KUTOKA UDOSINI: Telugu Desam 'strike': Protesters take to streets against Naidu's arrest

Rail and road services were on Monday disrupted due to a bandh called by TD to protest the arrest of their party chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, who began a hunger strike against Maharashtra government stopping his visit to the controversial Babli barrage site. TD Rajya Sabha member, Mr Nandamuri Harikrishna, was taken into custody near the AP-Maharashtra border when he tried to proceed to Dharmabad to meet Mr Naidu and other partymen. Several TD, CPI and CPM leaders were also taken into custody as they staged rail and road blockades in various parts of Andhra Pradesh. "Naidu and his associates went on a hunger strike this morning and declined inspection by a medical team sent into the ITI premises where they are lodged," an official said. The TD chief and 74 partymen were arrested on Friday by Maharashtra Police at Dharmabad during the protest over the irrigation project in Babhli and remanded in two days judicial custody on Saturday after they refused to take bail.Sporting black badges, TD leaders garlanded the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Dharmabad ITI premises before launching the fast.

"I am going to meet them and will return immediately. I have every right to do so," Harikrishna told the police but was taken into custody as a preventive measure.

Meanwhile, TD is rushing a team of doctors to examine the health of six party MLAs — Mr Abdul Ghani, Mr Mandava Venkateswara Rao, Mr M. Kishan Reddy, Mr P. Ramulu, Mr Linga Reddy and Ms Meenakshi Naidu — currently in judicial remand in Dharmabad. Though Mr Chandrababu Naidu, asked the six MLAs to go back to AP, the latter refused and vowed to continue the fight along with the former.

The bandh drew mixed response as businesses remained closed in various parts of AP while in the state capital Hyderabad party workers damaged some RTC buses that came on to the roads.

The state-run Road Transport Corporation, however, did not suspend the city services fully and was plying buses partially despite the protests. The CPI and the CPM expressed solidarity with the TD and participating in the hartal in the state.

At Narsapur in Medak district, TD workers took out a 'funeral procession' with the effigy of Maharashtra Chief Minister, Mr Ashok Chavan, to register their protest. In Hyderabad, several TD, CPI and CPM leaders were taken into custody as they staged 'rasta-roko' at important junctions in the city. In Vijayawada and Warangal too several TD leaders were arrested for stopping trains.

At Ghanpur station in Warangal district, TD workers stopped the Secunderabad-bound Golconda Express for a few minutes while at Gadwal in Mahbubnagar district, the Tungabhadra Express was detained by the protestors.

Many trains were blocked at different railway stations in the state, information reaching here said.

Road blockades were staged on many important state and national highways in the state leading to traffic jams.

Traffic came to a grinding halt on the Ongole-Kurnool highway as well as Karimnagar-Ramagundam highway.In Vijayawada, TD, CPI and CPM workers held a road blockade on the National Highway-9 in front of the Pandit Nehru Bus Station and prevented movement of RTC buses and other traffic.

The agitation continued across the state. Meanwhile, a TD worker Sheik Chand allegedly tried to immolate himself in protest against the illegal arrest of Naidu and other TD leaders.

In East Godavari district, one Tatapudi Rajaiah, 52, died of a heart attack on Monday following the arrest of TD chief. In Khammam district too a TD sympathiser Aruna Kumari too died of shock, the party claimed.Mr Naidu appealed to people not to get emotional over his arrest.

Meanwhile, Jansurajya Party activists drowned Naidu's effigy near the Babli reservoir. "Maharashtra Government should evict Mr Naidu from Nanded district to avoid untoward incident. Our government is treating him as its son-in-law," a party activist said at Babli.

Despite Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah's request to his Maharashtra counterpart, Mr Ashok Chavan, to let the TD team led by Mr Naidu visit the controversial Babli barrage, the state government is in no mood to do so and would aggravate the law and order problem, the official said.