KURNOOL: Normalcy restored in the Alur Assembly constituency of Kurnool district on Monday, two days after violent clashes broke out between supporters of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in Nemakal village of Chippagiri mandal that led to the arrest of Aluru MLA B Virupakshi and several others.
While both parties traded allegations against each other over the violence, police maintained that the situation was under control and normalcy had returned to the affected villages. The arrest has assumed political significance in the region.
Political observers and leaders across party lines describe it as an unprecedented development in the erstwhile Kurnool district, with a sitting MLA being arrested and remanded to judicial custody in connection with a case of political violence. Police, however, have not commented on the arrest of MLA.
Alur Circle Inspector Ravishankar Reddy said adequate police deployment had been made in Nemakal and surrounding villages and there was no law and order problem at present. He said the situation remained peaceful and further investigation into the clashes was underway. The arrested MLA is currently lodged in Kurnool District Jail.
On Monday, senior YSRCP leader and former MLA Katasani Rambhupal Reddy, along with other party leaders, visited the jail to meet Virupakshi.
They enquired about his health and condemned his arrest, alleging that false cases had been foisted against him and other YSRCP leaders for political reasons.
Meanwhile, TDP leaders, including Kurnool district president Gudise Krishnamma, MLC BT Naidu and MLA Kalva Srinivasulu, visited Chippagiri and Nemakal villages to meet those affected in the clashes and assure them of support.
Addressing a press conference in Kurnool, TDP leaders strongly condemned the alleged attack on Yadavas and Dalits during the violence. DCMS Chairman and BC Welfare Association State President Y Nageswara Rao Yadav alleged that the YSRCP MLA and his supporters had attacked members of weaker sections and demanded stringent legal action. TDP leaders also accused the previous YSRCP government of targeting backward classes and weaker sections during its tenure.