YSRCP bandh for SCS evokes partial response

Tirupati: The state-wide bandh call given by YSRCP on Tuesday has evoked partial response. The protestors took to streets at 5 am itself led by party general secretary and spokesperson Bhumana Karunakar Reddy. They have gathered at RTC Central Bus Station and tried to obstruct the buses, and some have gone to other places to close the business establishments.

Cops were deployed in sensitive spots and Karunakar Reddy was taken into the custody for allegedly trying to stop the buses and shifted to MR Palli police station and dispersed the agitating protestors. The buses ran normally to all places after few hours. As a precautionary measure, police have imposed Section 144 in the city in view of the bandh call and forces have been deployed in large numbers to face any untoward incidents that may arise during the bandh.

Earlier, several shops and other business establishments have downed their shutters for a couple of hours and opened them again as there seems to be no forcible intervention by the protestors. Hotels, government offices, banks and petrol bunks have also functioned normally whereas some schools and colleges have declared holiday in advance on Monday itself as a precautionary step.

Police took the leaders into custody in other parts of the district also as they tried to obstruct the traffic on national highways. MLA RK Roja was arrested in Nagari when she tried to stage a sit-in protest on the national highway and MLA Narayana Swamy for protesting at bus station at Narayanavanam.

Similarly, MLA Sunil Kumar and other party senior leaders Adimulam, Biyyapu Madhusudana Reddy, Tippeswamy, Dwarakanath Reddy and others have been taken into custody at different places whereas Punganur MLA Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy was house arrested. According to sources, about 600-700 leaders and party workers have been taken into custody in the district.

In the afternoon, Karunakar Reddy spoke to the media at the Press Club and lambasted Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for trying to suppress the democratic bandh call with the help of police. He termed Naidu as even worse than Hitler in following dictatorial policies and said that angry people will teach him a lesson. He has to pay a heavy price for his ruthless behaviour through which he wants to suppress the agitators and nobody in the history with such an attitude has ruled full term.

He flayed Naidu for describing his protests as ‘Dharma Poratam’ and ‘Deeksha’ and YSRCP’s protests as undemocratic and anti-people policies. He claimed that it was Jaganmohan Reddy alone, who has been working for a solution to people’s problems. Karunakar Reddy criticised Naidu saying that it was he who passed resolutions in Assembly twice as special package was much better and even praised Prime Minister and Union Finance Minister and felicitated M Venkaiah Naidu for his efforts in getting the package. He reiterated that with this type of deeds of Naidu, YSRCP will emerge even stronger in the people.

Chittoor: Statewide bandh call given by YSRCP on Tuesday, demanding the Centre to accord Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh has evoked partial response in the city. However, educational institutions, business establishments, movie theatres, petrol stations, hotels and banks have remained closed. The YSRCP activists staged a dharna followed by rasta roko at Gandhi Statue and raised slogans against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Modi government at Centre.

Speaking to the media, YSRCP district women wing president Gayathri Devi has criticised the Chief Minister for failing to secure the SCS to AP even after TDP was an ally of the NDA for the last four years. She lauded the resignations of the party MPs for special status. Gayathri Devi has asked the Chief Minister to prove the TDP commitment for SCS by asking his MPs to tender resignation to their posts.

She made it clear YSRCP President YS Jaganmohan Reddy would not compromise on SCS just like the BJP-led NDA government. She condemned the arrest of YSRCP leaders to defeat the spirit of the bandh. However, the cops cleared the roads by taking agitators into the custody.