Following the dramatic arrest of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu in the early hours of Saturday, September 9, several party leaders were reportedly detained or put under house arrest. After Naidu’s arrest for his alleged role in a multi-crore skill development scam, TDP leaders and workers staged protests in several districts condemning the arrest by the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government led by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The police issued a high alert across the state and several buses were halted to avert untoward incidents.
Former Nandyal MLA Bhuma Akhila Priya who tried to reach Naidu’s camp office during Chandrababu Naidu’s arrest was sent back and put under house arrest. Senior TDP leader Yanamala Ramakrishnudu and party’s women’s wing president Vangalapudi Anitha too were put under house arrest. Anantapur former TDP MLA Prabhakar Chowdary, Tirupati former MLA M Suguna, and Paritala Sri Ram were detained by the police. Rajahmundry Rural MLA Gornatla Butaiah Chowdary who staged a protest at his residence was detained by the police along with several party workers.
In Visakhapatnam, former minister Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy was detained at his residence and was shifted to Atchutapuram police station. Visakhaptnam West MLA Ganababu was detained by the police at his home and was shifted to Assistant Commisioner of Police(ACP) West Division office.
TDP stages protests, burns CM Jagan’s effigy
TDP workers attempted to stop the police convoy carrying the arrested TDP chief as it crossed from Nandyal to Markapuram in the Prakasam district around 11 am on Saturday, which resulted in clashes between the party workers and the police. TDP organised demonstrations in Visakhapatnam city. Party members also took to the streets in Tadepalli, Anantapur, Tirupati, and Nandigama.
TDP leaders in the Ambedkar Konaseema and Guntur districts have set fire to CM Jagan's effigy. They were detained by the police after a series of tense arguments.
Palakollu TDP MLA Nimmala Rama Naidu reportedly fainted as tensions escalated between the police and the party workers during the protest at Tanuku in West Godavari district. Nellore MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Redyy got into a heated argument with the police who tried to enter his house.
RTC cancels bus services
The state Road Transport Corporation halted bus services in a number of districts, including Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, and Alluri Sitharama Raju due to the protests by TDP supporters. In addition, tighter security has been put in place at transportation hubs at the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka borders and buses have been delayed, causing inconvenience to several commuters travelling in the weekend.
The Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation (APSDC) was established by Chandrababu Naidu in 2014 to provide unemployed youth with the necessary training to find employment. A memorandum of understanding was signed by the APSDC with Siemens India Software India Ltd and Design Tech Systems Pvt Ltd, with an estimated project cost of Rs 3,300 crore. The Andhra government officials were charged with releasing Rs 370 crores without any tenders and using shell companies to syphon this money. Chandrababu Naidu was booked on charges of forgery, criminal breach of trust, under sections 166, 167, 418, 420, 465, 488, 471, 409, 201 of the Indian Penal Code, and the Prevention of Corruption Act. TDP MLA and former minister Ghanta Srinivas Rao too was arrested in relation to the scam.