Chandrababu Naidu under house arrest to foil march

Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh): In a clampdown against its main Opposition, reminiscent of the 1975 Emergency and more recently the arrest of key political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, the Andhra Pradesh government led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had the Leader of the Opposition and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu placed under house arrest on Wednesday to stop him from undertaking a protest yatra.

The Andhra police kept Mr Naidu and Nara Lokesh, his MLC son, under house arrest for the day on Karakatta Road, on the banks of the Krishna, in Undavalli, and prevented party leaders and cadres from reaching their house.

Mr Naidu had given a call to Telugu Desam leaders and activists to march to Atamkur to highlight the alleged attacks on TDP supporters by YSRC activists. The YSRC also gave a call for “Chalo Atamkur”; both rallies scheduled for Wednesday, in response to which, on the pretext of maintaining law and order, the police chose to respond with the house arrests of Opposition leaders.

The police also did not allow Telugu Desam leaders and cadre to reach Mr Naidu’s house on Karakatta Road, in protesting against which the TDP cadre staged protests on the spot, and raised slogans against “police restrictions”. In the melee that followed, marked by heated arguments between the police and TDP leaders, several party activists received minor injuries.

The police also prevented several former ministers of the TDP and other party leaders from reaching Mr Naidu’s house by deploying policemen in large numbers along the way.

Vijayawada Lok Sabha MP Kesineni Srinivas tried to go to Mr Naidu’s house, but the police forcibly stopped him near the Prakasam barrage.

Former minister Bhuma Akhila Priya, who stayed at a hotel in Vijayawada, tried to go to the former CM’s house but the police restrained her at the hotel and refused permission to go out. Heated arguments were recorded between Ms Priya and police, with the young leader accusing the police of forcibly entering her room and searching it, along with another room in which her associates were staying, without permission.

Mr Chandrababu Naidu came out of his house, joined by his son Lokesh and some TDP leaders and cadres at 11.15 am. The police immediately locked the entrance gate with a rope and physically stopped the vehicle of Mr Naidu from leaving the premises. TDP leaders argued with the police for nearly half an hour, demanding that Mr Naidu be allowed to go to the protest site, but in vain.

Mr Naidu said: “The YSRC government is violating fundamental rights.” He admonished the government and the police, saying: “You cannot restrain us by arresting us. I will go to Atmakur whenever the police will allow.”

The police did not allow YSRC leaders, including MP Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu, MLAs Md Mustafa, Kasu Mahesh Reddy, Ambati Rambabu and Vidadala Rajani and other leaders, from undertaking a rally to Atmakur by keeping them under house arrest.

The roads to Atmakur from Guntur, Narasaraopeta and other places were filled with police pickets. The police held thorough checks to prevent political leaders from going to the village.