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Maha Padayatra turns violent in Andhra town
The clash broke out between 600-odd farmers supported by TDP, BJP and Jana Sena Party and YSRCP workers in Rajahmundry town on Tuesday
The ongoing “Maha Padayatra” (great foot march) by the farmers of Amaravati capital region of Andhra Pradesh against the three capitals’ proposals of the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government faced a stiff resistance from the YSR Congress Party workers after reaching Rajahmundry town on Tuesday, leading to a tense situation.
As the yatra by 600-odd farmers, supported by thousands of activists belonging to the Telugu Desam Party, Bharatiya Janata Party and Jana Sena Party, was passing through Azad Chowk area in the town, the YSRCP workers and representatives of local joint action committee for decentralisation held a counter rally in the same place.
Both the groups provoked each other by raising slogans in support of and against three capitals’ move of the government. The TDP workers and the YSRC workers hurled bottles, footwear, stones, sticks and chairs at each other.
Later, the police put up barricades across the road to prevent physical attacks by the two groups and brought the situation under control.
TDP Andhra Pradesh unit president K Atchen Naidu said: “The YSRCP workers, led by Rajahmundry MP Margani Bharat deliberately organised the rally in the same place through which the farmers were taking out the padayatra in a bid to provoke them”.
“The MP himself led the party workers to attack the peaceful march of the farmers. It is unfortunate that the police remained mute spectators when the YSRCP workers were hurling bottles and sticks at the farmers and the TDP leaders supporting them,” Atchen Naidu said.
Bharat, however, said the attacks were pre-planned under the direction of TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu. “There are rowdies and goondas in the guise of farmers of Amaravati. The attackers should be severely punished,” he said.
He alleged that the TDP workers and farmers had provoked them by pelting bottles and stones while they were holding a protest in support of the decentralisation peacefully.
