YSRCP MLA Roja stopped from attending Women's Parliament

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh police on Saturday detained opposition YSR Congress Party leader Roja as she was proceeding to attend National Women's Parliament at Amaravati.

The actress-turned-politician was detained for more than an hour at Gannavaram Airport here and was later forcibly taken towards an undisclosed location. She informed media houses that she was being taken towards Ongole in a vehicle.

Roja entered into heated argument with police officials for detaining her though she was invited to attend the Women's Parliament and she had the invitation and entry pass.

Several YSRCP leaders including women legislators rushed to the airport and alleged that Roja was Akidnapped. On the other hand, ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) alleged that she was coming to disrupt the event.

Roja, a member of Andhra Pradesh assembly, said the incident proved what kind of security women enjoyed in the state. She said the government was trying to prevent her from speaking truth at the conclave.

She said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Speaker Kodela Sivaprasad Rao had no moral right to organize the Women's Parliament. She said the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government was not sincere about women's empowerment and wanted to know why leaders like Brinda Karat and AMedha Patkar, who were working for the cause, were not invited to the event.

She claimed that National Women's Parliament has turned into a show of family of members of some leaders. She pointed out that daughter-in-law of Chandrababu Naidu and daughters of central minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao addressed the conclave.

More than 10,000 women delegates from across India and abroad are participating in three-day Women's Parliament, which began on Friday.