Andhra special status: Protesting TDP MPs detained from outside PM's home

Members if the Telugu Dasam Party (TDP) on Sunday protested outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence in Lok Kalyan Marg on Sunday morning demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh.

The MP's were forced to leave from Modi's residence and were packed in buses which took them to Tughlaq Road Police Station, although, they continued to shout slogans and wave placards against the BJP-led central government.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Reports said that no case had been lodged against them and the protestorshave been taken intopreventive custody.

The TDP members had been noisily protesting in both Houses of Parliament holding placards etc, demanding special category status to Andhra Pradesh as well as implementation of all the promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act-2014. Around mid-March, having quit the NDA, they gave no-confidence motion against the government but it was not admitted by the Speaker.

Even as the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die without the no-confidence motion against the NDA government being taken up, TDP president and chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu called for bicycle rallies by party leaders and cadre across the state to highlight the “injustice meted out to Andhra Pradesh”.

Naidu himself led a bicycle rally from Venkatayapalem village in Amaravati to the state legislative assembly at Velagapudi, which is three kilometres away. He was accompanied by cabinet colleagues, including his son Nara Lokesh, besides several MLAs, MLCs and party leaders.

In a teleconference held earlier, Naidu asked party MPs to bring the issue to the President’s notice. He also referred to the absence of YSR Congress MPs from the Opposition’s human chain protest in Parliament on Thursday to allege that they were acting in collusion with the BJP.