Party workers accused Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of vindictive politics and burnt him in effigy at several places.
Police resorted to lathi-charge at several places to make way for the convoy bring Naidu to Vijayawada. (TDP/X)
TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu’s arrest in an alleged multi-crore scam early on Saturday, 9 September, sparked sporadic protests across Andhra Pradesh.
A convoy ferrying him from Nandyal travelled some 300 km to reach Kunchanapally, a southern suburb of Vijayawada by evening. Its progress was slowed down as party workers sat on the road, preventing it from moving forward at a few places.
As the arrest drama unfolded in Nandyal, with party Politburo member Kaluva Srinivasulu demanding an explanation from the police for the arrest and the charges they had against him, the party workers spilled onto the roads and began staging protests across the state.
In several districts, bus services were affected. In Visakhapatnam, passengers were stranded at the Dwaraka Bus Station as protestors blocked the roads.
Fearing trouble, as many as 160 Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) interstate buses to Andhra Pradesh from Vellore, Krishnagiri, Chennai, and Tiruvallur were suspended. The services were later restored.
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) suspended 45 bus services to Vijayawada, Tirupati, Puttaparthy, Hindupur and Anantapur. Here, too, the bus schedules were later restored.
At several places, the police did not allow TDP leaders to venture out of their residences since morning fearing trouble. As the leaders were kept on house arrest, heated arguments took place between the police and the party leaders.
At Palacole in erstwhile West Godavari district, MLA Nimmala Ramanayudu lost balance and fell in a scuffle between the police and the TDP workers. He then complained of uneasiness and was taken to a hospital even as the workers raised slogans against the police.
చంద్రబాబు గారిని అక్రమంగా అరెస్టు చేసి తీసుకెళ్తున్న పోలీస్ కాన్వాయ్ ఎట్టకేలకు కుంచనపల్లి లోని సిట్ కార్యాలయానికి చేరుకుంది. నంద్యాల మొదలు ఇక్కడకు చేరుకునేవరకు ఎక్కడికక్కడ ప్రజల నిరసనను పోలీసులు ఎదుర్కోవాల్సి వచ్చింది#WeWillStandWithCBNSir#ChandrababuNaidu#G20India2023… pic.twitter.com/gptm3r9uvB
— Telugu Desam Party (@JaiTDP) September 9, 2023
On learning about Naidu’s arrest, his son and party general secretary Nara Lokesh, who is on a padayatra in East Godavari district, staged a sit-in on the road despite rains. He was angry with the police for not allowing him to visit his father.
Lokesh left for Vijayawada later in the afternoon.
Former minister Devineni Umamaheshwara Rao was arrested and taken to Bhavanipuram police station in Vijayawada while TDP AP president K Atchen Naidu was kept under house arrest at China Waltair.
In Visakhapatnam, former minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao was arrested in connection with his role in the skill development scam. He was later taken to Disha police station in Endada.
Leaders Kaluva Srinivasulu, Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy, AV Subba Reddy, BC Janardhan Reddy, and Akhila Priya were among those arrested in Visakhapatnam, as party cadres protested the arrest. Reports said several other leaders have been placed under house detention.
Former minister Paritala Sunitha, too, has been detained. MLAs Gottipatii Raju and Anagani Satyam Prasad were detained from the Gannavaram airport.
As Naidu’s car which was on its way to Vijayawada reached Chilakluripet, the TDP workers squatted on the Chennai-Kolkata national highway, preventing its onward journey. The demonstrators, mostly women, refused to move.
They let the convoy proceed after Naidu got out of the vehicle and requested them to call off their agitation. Vehicular traffic came to a standstill on the vital road for about 30 minutes with the block stretching to more than two km.
All along his way to Vijayawada, the TDP workers staged protests and tried to stop his convoy. In Bapatla, the police lathi-charged the crowd when they refused to clear the way.
Earlier, at Pernimetta in Prakasam district, the police lathi-charged the TDP workers to clear the way for the convoy. The party workers parked their vehicles across the road to prevent the movement of traffic for some time. In Guntur, too, the party workers held up traffic on the highway for some time.
At Chimakurthy in Prakasam district, the people uprooted trees on the national highway to block Naidu’s convoy. At several places, TDP workers burnt Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s effigy.
Naidu’s arrest found an echo in Hyderabad as well. The party workers staged a protest at the Ambedkar Statue at Tank Bund. They raised slogans against the AP government and Chief Minister Jagan.
Meanwhile, Naidu’s wife Nara Bhuvaneswari said she prayed to Goddess Durga to protect her husband, who is fighting for the people of the state.
“I request all of you to stand by Naidu as he is fighting for all of you and that should be a successful one,” she told media.
“For the past 45 years, I have selflessly served Telugu people. I am prepared to sacrifice my life to safeguard the interests of the Telugu people. No force on earth can stop me from serving Telugu people,” Naidu said soon after his arrest.
Slamming Naidu’s arrest, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Manoj Jha said it going to extremes against one’s political opponents has become a new trend in India.
“A new trend has started in this country where you go to extremes because you have political differences. Chandrababu Naidu is not only a former chief minister but has played a key role in the formation of modern Andhra Pradesh,” Jha told PTI.
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