BJP, TRS workers clash during Bandi's yatra

Jangaon: Tension prevailed at Devaruppula of Palakurthi constituency when the TRS and the BJP activists engaged in fisticuffs during the saffron party's State president Bandi Sanjay's Praja Sangrama Yatra on Monday.

During his rally, Sanjay said that Palakurthi constituency didn't witness any kind of development under the TRS regime. He also said that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao failed to fulfill his party's election manifesto. Despite growing unemployment in the State, the CM failed to take any measures to address it, Sanjay said.

Apparently, Sanjay's criticism didn't go down well with the TRS cadres. They questioned the BJP workers to tell how many jobs were created by Narendra Modi's government at the Centre. They also raised slogans of 'BJP down down' which led to a serious altercation between the workers of both the parties. Both the groups attacked each other with sticks, besides resorting to stone pelting. The police who swung into action dispersed both the warring groups.

Meanwhile, the BJP leaders alleged that the TRS workers provoked them by pelting stones when they were celebrating the Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav programme. The party claimed that several of its activists sustained head injuries following the attack by TRS cadres by sticks. The police resorted to lathi-charge on the BJP workers who tried to repulse the TRS attack, the BJP leaders said.

Following the incident, Bandi Sanjay spoke to police higher ups in Jangaon. He said that if the police can't control the law and order, better the police commissioner sit at home.

Later, he lodged a complaint with the Director General of Police M Mahender Reddy about the incident. Sanjay expressed surprise that what the police were doing when the TRS cadres were attacking the BJP workers. "Are the police getting their salaries from the pockets of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao? Hardly, he will be in power for another six months," Sanjay said, appealing to the DGP to ensure peace during his padayatra.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Errabelli Dayakar Rao, who met TRS cadres who were injured in the incident, said that Bandi Sanjay is accompanied by 500 'goondas' during his padayatra.

He said that Sanjay's allegations against his party were baseless. Sanjay has been provoking his party men during his yatra. He said that TRS activists K Praveen, Srikanth, a physically challenged person, leg and V Srikanth sustained serious injuries in the attack.