Vijayawada: Own party workers beat up YSRCP MLA
Gopalapuram MLA Talari Venkata Rao being taken into a school building for safety by police during an attack by his own party supporters on Saturday
Vijayawada: An MLA of the ruling YSRCP was roughed up by members of a rival faction in his own party in Eluru district on Saturday, following the murder of a local leader.
Gopalapuram MLA Talari Venkata Rao, however, claimed the attack on him was orchestrated by the opposition TDP though there was rivalry within his own YSRC in the region. On the other hand, the wife of the deceased YSRC leader blamed the MLA for her husband's murder, even as the police apprehended three party activists over the incident.
The MLA was escorted into a room in the local school for safety as additional police force was rushed to G Kottapalli village under Dwaraka Tirumala limits. Eluru range deputy inspector general (DIG) Pala Raju and SP Rahul Dev Sharma visited the village to bring law and order under control. According to the police, it began with the murder of local YSRCP leader Ganji Prasad on Saturday morning. MLA Rao went to Prasad's house in G Kottapalli village to console the deceased man's family.
The rival YSRCP faction in the village prevented the MLA's entry into the village and attacked him. Some YSRCP workers beat up the legislator even as some police personnel present there tried to prevent the attack.
Tension prevailed in the village as rival groups hurled stones at each other, leaving at least one police constable and a party worker injured. In the melee, police whisked the MLA away into a school building and kept him inside a room.
As additional force rushed in, Rao was driven away from the village on a motorbike. Deputy Chief Minister (home) Taneti Vanitha acknowledged that there were two groups in the party in the region and the attackers also belonged to YSRCP.
Talking to reporters in Visakhapatnam, she said the killing of Prasad was unfortunate. Later in the afternoon, three assailants, claiming involvement in the murder of Prasad, gave themselves up to the police. All three were identified as workers of the YSRCP, police said. "Situation in the village is now under control. We have taken up a detailed investigation into the incidents," a senior police official said over phone. (PTI)