GUNTUR/VIJAYAWADA: The call for blockade of the NH 16 by the Amaravati Joint Action Committee against the three-capital proposal of the YSRC government, turned violent on Tuesday with two YSRC MLAs coming under attack by alleged TDP activists at Chinakakani in Guntur and at Thotlavalluru in Krishna district. The YSRC alleged that TDP goons attacked its MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy at Chinakakani. Refuting the charge, the TDP termed the incident a political conspiracy to defame it.
Responding to the JAC call for road blockade, Amaravati farmers thronged the NH 16 at Chinakakani in large numbers bringing the vehicular traffic to a grinding halt for nearly four hours. The convoy of Education Minister Audimulapu Suresh got stuck in the traffic jam and after much effort, police cleared the way for his convoy.
While Pinnelli’s car was passing through the service road, some agitators noticed him and stopped his vehicle when it came on to the highway. The agitators asked Government Whip Pinnelli to join their protest against the move to shift the Secretariat from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam. But he refused and remained in his car. Heated arguments ensued between Pinnelli and agitators. Resenting his ‘indifferent’ attitude to the farmers’ cause, the agitators roughed up Pinnelli’s gunman.
When the MLA’s car driver tried to speed away from the place, the agitators hurled stones at the vehicle damaging its rear windshield.
Pinnelli alleged that the attackers were TDP goons who were in an inebriated condition and no farmer participated in the agitation. The TDP, however, claimed that it was a conspiracy by the YSRC to instigate violence and asked as to why the agitating farmers who allowed the smooth passage of the convoy of Minister Suresh, would attack Pinnelli. Vehicles got stranded for several kilometres on both sides of NH-16 at Chinakakani due to the road blockade. The huge police force deployed at Chinakakani, had a tough time regulating the traffic. Later in the evening, protesting the arrest of MLC Nara Lokesh, TDP activists surrounded the car of Pamarru MLA Anil Kumar Kaile at Thotlavalluru while he was coming to Vijayawada after participating in some programmes at Pamidikaluva village. The MLA was forced to get down from his car.
“I was not aware of what happened. I was taken by surprise when the TDP activists acting like goons misbehaved with me and abused me in filthy language. I was on Thotlavalluru Karakatta at that time accidentally and not intentionally,” he said and blamed TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu for the incident.
Earlier in the day, several TDP leaders in Krishna and Guntur districts were put under house arrest as a precautionary measure.
TDP national general secretary Lokesh, MLA Ramanaidu and former minister Kollu Ravindra were taken into custody at Benz Circle while they were on their way to Chinakakani to participate in the road blockade. The arrested leaders were shifted to Thotlavalluru police station. Naidu condemned the arrests and house arrests of his party MLAs and leaders. Why the TDP leaders were stopped when they extended solidarity with farmers, he asked.
Attackers booked
Guntur Range Inspector General of Police Vineet Brijlal said cases were registered against the protesters who attacked Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy, YSRC MLA of Macherla, at Chinakakani. No police permission was given to the Amaravati JAC protest. Action would be initiated against the protesters for blocking the National Highway 16 at Chinakakani in violation of the prohibitory orders, the IG said.