Tension in Anantapur as TDP, BJP workers clash

Anantapur/Vijayawada: Tension prevailed at the local R&B guest house here where BJP state president Kanna Lakshminarayana was camping on Thursday. The provocation for the clash between TDP and BJP workers was the burning of TDP flags when the latter came to meet Lakshminarayana.

Nearly 10 TDP workers came to meet Lakshminarayana at the guest house but were thwarted by the BJP workers who were in large numbers. As soon as the BJP leaders saw the TDP workers carrying flags, emotions ran high and the BJP workers snatched the TDP party flags and burnt them.

Though irate TDP workers tried to stop them from burning the flags but were counter attacked. The TDP activists, who were small in numbers, were attacked leading to a scuffle and the police intervened and dispersed the activists. Later, the TDP workers went to Two-town police station and staged a dharna in front of the police station.

Meanwhile local MLA V Prabhakar Choudhary and Mayor M Swaroopa reached the police station and held discussions with the police and persuaded the agitating TDP workers to withdraw their agitation.

Meanwhile CPI workers under the leadership of party district secretary D Jagdesh and Jaffer reached to the R&B guest house creating a tense situation. The CPI workers came to lodge their protest before the BJP state president for going back on major promises made under the AP Reorganization Act including the establishment of steel plant in Kadapa and Railway Zone with Visakhapatnam as its headquarters.

The CPI workers were also prevented from meeting Lakshminarayana. Tension prevailed for some time which forced the police to disperse the CPI workers. The CPI activists too staged a dharna at the police station protesting the high-handed behaviour of the BJP workers and the police.

Reacting to the tense situation created by the TDP, Kanna Lakshminarayana in a press meet accused Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of hatching a conspiracy to eliminate him.

He alleged that the TDP workers came to attack him, who were prevented by his party workers from entering his guest house. He reminded that BJP national president Amit Shaw was also attacked by TDP workers at Tirupati in the recent past and appealed to Central human rights body to visit the state and study the political atrocities being perpetuated on rival party leaders.

Lakshminarayana described the fast unto death of MP CM Ramesh in Kadapa as a ‘drama’ and accused Ramesh of looting public money through HNSS and Galeru Nagari projects execution.

The BJP state president claimed that the Centre has fulfilled all promises made under the AP Reorganization Act. Lakshminarayana also reacted in Twitter over the attack against him stating the TDP was vindictive in attacking the BJP leaders as he had been bringing facts to public on corruption of TDP leaders.

Unable to digest the corruption charges, the TDP attacked him to take revenge, he alleged. He dared the TDP leaders to prove his allegations were wrong.