The bandh in protest against attacks on party offices by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Visakhapatnam and elsewhere in the state had hardly any effect in the city as well as the district, as party leaders were either confined to themselves. On Wednesday, the police took them into homes or custody.
Barring protests and rallies in a few places, the bandh remained ineffective and TDP leaders accused the government of detaining most of its leaders.
YSRCP workers on Tuesday allegedly attacked TDP offices at various places in the state after TDP leader K Pattabhiram made some derogatory remarks on Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The bandh was called by TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu protested the attack on party offices. The bandh had little impact as RTC buses, private vehicles and commercial establishments operated as usual.
Several TDP workers who came out on the road at Jagdamba Junction were taken into custody by the police. TDP leaders rally in Bheemunipatnam. The protesters were taken into custody when they tried to stage a sit-in at the junction. TDP workers in Narsipatnam Ayyana Patrudu took out the rally.
“We were preparing to participate in the bandh when the police forced us out of our homes. Opposition parties have the right to protest peacefully. The bandh was called to preserve democracy. TDP parliamentary constituency president Palla Srinivasa Rao said police force was used to suppress the protest and it was not a solution.
According to him, the police had allegedly taken several party leaders into custody between 2 am and 4 am on Wednesday, or had deployed personnel in front of their homes since Tuesday midnight.
Srinivasa Rao said all 31 TDP councilors were either taken into preventive custody or imprisoned in their homes.
He condemned the ‘dictatorial’ attitude of the YSRCP government and the ‘derogatory’ language used by Anakapalle MLA Gudivada Amarnath against Mr Naidu.
TDP state president K. Atchannaidu is also imprisoned in his house.
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