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TDP vs YSRCP in Andhra ‘garbage wars’: Trash piled up outside Kadapa mayor's office amid protests
TDP cadres dumbed bags of trash outside the mayor's office in Kadapa, while YSRCP staged protests at the Chinna Chowk police station.
A political war erupted between the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and opposition YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh over the issue of the new ‘garbage tax’ rule in the state.
The ‘garbage wars’ between the two parties intensified after residents and workers from the ruling TDP piled up garbage bags outside the official residence of YSRCP mayor Suresh Babu.
The protests erupted after the mayor insisted that garbage would only be collected if the garbage tax was paid. Responding to the rule, MLA Medhavi Reddy urged all residents not to pay the tax. Residents and TDP cadres eventually resorted to throwing garbage bags outside the Kadapa residence of the mayor when authorities refused to collect the trash.
Local police eventually reached the spot to contain the situation.
However, the retaliation from the opposition party came quick as YSRCP workers and activists staged protests at the Chinna Chowk police station and demanded the arrest of TDP leaders including MLA Medhavi Reddy.
Reddy and Suresh Babu have been engaged in a war of words over the garbage tax issue over the last few days, blaming the other's party for the garbage pileup across the Kadapa.
Read more: Andhra Pradesh: TDP in a bind over NDA’s stand on Waqf board, fears backlash in the state
The TDP leader, during a local press meet, accused YSRCP for indulging in “dirty politics” over the garbage collection issue, leading to extreme inconvenience for the residents. She also accused Suresh Babu of creating garbage collection hurdles to defame her and the ruling TDP. She warned that protestors will be forced to dump garbage on Babu's doorstep if the issue isn't resolved at the earliest.
Mayor Suresh Babu was quick to respond to the threat issued by the TDP MLA, levelling several accusations at Reddy and her party which enraged TDP workers and followers. The TDP workers and residents dumped trash outside Reddy's house on Tuesday morning.
The tensions remain heightened between TDP and YSRCP over the garbage tax issue, as the opposition is protesting against the police administration and demanding the arrest of Reddy and her followers for dumping garbage on the official residence of the Kadapa mayor.
