As a large number of cops arrived at the Renigunta airport and arrested TDP leaders, tension mounted amid rising political temperatures in Chittoor district. Police also blocked former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s visit to Tirupati. Naidu was prevented from coming out of the airport. Police also served notices to the TDP chief, saying that there was no permission for his visit because of the coronavirus guidelines and election code in force. They also pointed out that Naidu›s tour would have a debilitating impact on the municipal election process in the town.
Along with this, the police placed TDP leaders across the district under house arrest.
Due to the blockade, Naidu staged a sit-in at the Tirupati airport after police denied him permission to hold protest rallies at Chittoor district headquarters. After a request from the district administration, Naidu came back to Hyderabad from the airport itself. He had planned to protest in Tirupati against the alleged high handedness of YSRCP in urban body elections across Andhra Pradesh.
Tirupati Urban SP Venkata Appalanaidu said that the TDP chief was not allowed to visit Chittoor and hold protests as the election code was in force. Speaking at a press conference, the SP said that Naidu, who reached Renigunta this morning as part of a visit to Chittoor, was stopped at the airport by the police. “Despite the TDP leaders being given notices last night, they went on to hold protests,» the SP said. Permission from the Election Commission and the police is required for such activities. “Since the area where the TDP wanted to protest is a crucial area in Tirupati, permission was not granted to avoid clashes,” the SP said.
On the other hand, TDP state president K. Atchannaidu expressed his ire over the development. Speaking in Visakhapatnam, he wondered when the ruling party MPs are moving all over the state in an unrestrained manner, how come the government machinery could not find Covid-19 or State Election Commission norms then.
Calling out Chandrababu Naidu for his alleged “theatrics” at the Renigunta airport on Monday, state minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy played down the whole episode by saying that it was a mere PR stunt orchestrated by Naidu to gain relevance following the dismal performance of the yellow outfit in the recently concluded panchayat elections. He said: “He knew that permission was not given due to Covid restrictions; the dharna potentially causing inconvenience to the citizens, as the MCC is in place due to the municipal polls. Despite that, he decided to travel. This is only to run a propaganda against the government using certain media outlets controlled by him. Why would he travel, knowing that permission wasn’t given? This shows that it was merely a PR stunt.”
Earlier in the day, Superintendent of Police for Chittoor S. Senthil Kumar also addressed the media to set the record straight, amid many allegedly false claims being made by TDP leaders, with an intention to mislead the people of the state. He said, “The district police denied permission due to the following circumstances. The party was planning to gather 5,040 supporters. This violates all Covid regulations. Secondly, these many people gathering in the city would cause a lot of inconvenience to the citizens. Therefore, TDP was asked to look for another protest site outside the city which they refused to do. Thirdly, the MCC is in place due to the municipal elections and a protest of this nature violates the same. The police have no objection if the party obtains permission from the SEC. Despite laying out the following reasons, the TDP chief and his party intentionally did what they did. Hence, the detention.”
