VIJAYAWADA: Tension prevailed in the capital region soon after Legislative Affairs Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy introduced the Decentralisation of Governance and Inclusive Development of all Regions of the State of AP Bill during the Assembly session on Monday.
Police resorted to lathi-charge to quell scores of protesters, which included farmers and women, as they tried to lay siege to the Assembly building in Velagapudi.
After learning that Buggana had introduced the Bill in the Assembly around 12 noon, the protesters marched towards the Assembly building raising slogans against Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and his party.
Demanding that the government drop the plan to relocate the capital from Amaravati, they alleged thousands of farmers, who gave more than 33,000 acres of fertile land for the construction of the capital city, had been cheated.
The farmers also sought an explanation from the chief minister as to why he promised that he had no intention to shift the capital during his election campaigns.
As the police tried to prevent them from marching ahead, heated arguments ensued between the protesters and cops in Mandadam and Velagapudi villages. As the situation worsened with more people gathering, police lathi-charged to prevent the protesters from seizing the Assembly and took as many as 50 protesters, including women, into custody. They were later released.
A policeman was injured when the farmers pelted stones at the posse of security forces. “Instead of retaining the capital, Jagan announced benefits for farmers. We won’t accept the sops,” an agitator said.
Meanwhile, Guntur MP Galla Jayadev was detained for violating the prohibitory orders. He was prevented from staging a protest in front of the Assembly with his supporters. During the scuffle, five women suffered minor injuries. The MP’s shirt was torn.
“The YSRC had never mentioned its three capitals plan before the elections. They kept the public in the dark,” Jayadev thundered. On the other hand, as many as six police personnel were injured and they were admitted to the nearby government hospital. Police personnel even distributed water bottles to the exhausted protestors.
Earlier, police took opposition leaders into preventive custody and placed some under house arrest. Intensifying its protest against the Bill, the Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi Joint Action Committee gave a call to observe bandh in all the 29 villages of the capital region.