RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM : Tension prevailed at Azad Chowk in the city when YSRC and TDP workers clashed on Tuesday. A group of YSRC leaders, led by MP Margani Bharat, MLA and party district president Jakkampudi Raja, and city unit president Nandepu Srinivas, organised a meeting on ‘Decentralisation of Administration’ near Azad Chowk.
At the same time, Amaravati farmers’ Maha Padayatra reached the spot around 11 am. The farmers have been undertaking Amaravati to Arasavalli padayatra demanding that Amaravati be retained as the sole capital of Andhra Pradesh.
When some YSRC workers, holding black balloons, expressed their protest against the farmers’ rally, a group, suspected to be TDP activists, in the walkathon allegedly made provocative remarks.
Unidentified people in both the groups allegedly hurled bottles at each other and raised slogans. Police intervened and brought the situation under control. Bharat and former MLA Routhu Surya Prakasa Rao alleged that they noticed ‘blade batch’ members in the Amaravati farmers’ rally and local TDP leader Adireddy Appa Rao and MLA Bhavani’s husband Srinivas encouraged the criminals to join the padayatra. The YSRC leaders accused the TDP of filling drain water in plastic bottles and hurling them at their party workers. They demanded that police register a case against TDP workers, who resorted to violence.
TDP leader Appa Rao accused YSRC activists of resorting to violence and throwing bottles and chairs on the farmers’ rally. In view of Maha Padaytara, police made elaborate security arrangements in the city to thwart any untoward incident.