VIJAYAWADA: Mild tension prevailed at the Proddutur municipal office on Tuesday with BJP leaders and activists, led by its State chief Somu Veerraju, staging a protest against the council’s resolution to install a statue of Tipu Sultan at Jinnah Road in Proddutur town.
Police took the BJP leaders into preventive custody as they led the activists to Jinnah Road, where local MLA R Sivaprasad Reddy of the YSRC had laid the foundation stone for the statue of the Mysore ruler. Veerraju, who has been visiting various temple in the State, reached Ontimetta Ramalayam on Monday night, before proceeding to Proddutur. With the BJP giving a ‘Chalo Proddutur’ call against the installation of the statue, more police personnel were deployed in the town as a precautionary measure.
The BJP leaders staged a sit-in at the municipal office after the police had prevented them from proceeding to Jinnah Road. Proddutur DSP Y Prasad Rao urged the BJP leaders to withdraw the protest, citing the Covid-19, and law and order situation. The protestors, however, insisted on going to the spot where the foundation stone was laid.
Police took Veerraju and other leaders, including N Ramesh and Vishnuvardhan Reddy, into custody when they tried to force their way to the spot. They were shifted to Proddutur, Errakuntla, Mydukur and Kadapa police stations. Proddutur MLA Reddy alleged that the BJP was trying to foment trouble for the sake of petty political gains.
Protest against cow slaughter remarks
Somu Veerraju urged the party workers to stage protests at all the district collectorates, MRO and RDO offices on Wednesday against the remarks of YSRC leaders against the Cow Slaughter Act. BJP state chief Veeraju accused Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and other YSRC leaders of acting against Hindu sentiments.