: Palnadu region, once a hotbed of faction politics, simmered with tension on Monday after MLAs belonging to the Telugu Desam and the YSR Congress braced up for a public debate on allegations of corruption during Krishna Pushkarams.
With TDP MLA from Gurazala Y. Srinivasa Rao accepting a challenge thrown at him by Macherla MLA Pinneli Ramakrishna Reddy for an open debate on the premises of Agricultural Market Yard at Dachepalli, prohibitory orders were clamped in Dachepalli-Nadikudi, Piduguralla and other towns by the Guntur Rural police who were on the edge throughout the day.
Superintendent of Police, Guntur Rural, K. Narayan rushed to Dachepalli and monitored the situation.
“We have denied permission for any open debate. If they want to have a debate, let them have it in a TV studio,’’ Mr. Narayan said. Both the MLAs have been placed under house arrest and many other leaders have been taken into preventive custody. Shops and other commercial establishments remained closed.
Police had to use mild force to disperse followers of Piduguralla and Dachepalli ZPTC members who broke off the police cordon at Dachepalli. DSP, Gurazala, Nageswara Rao said that cases under Sections 356, 324 IPC have been registered.
It began with Mr. Ramakrishna Reddy alleging that large-scale corruption had taken place during the execution of civil works in Krishna Pushkaras and challenged Mr. Srinivasa Rao to face a CBI inquiry. Further, he also accused the ruling party of seeking to derive political mileage by painting all the ghats yellow and vowed that he would never take a dip in those ghats. True to his word, Mr. Reddy took a holy dip at a ghat in Nalgonda district.
Mr. Srinivasa Rao retorted by saying that he would face an inquiry and accepted the challenge for an open debate scheduled for Monday.
“I have never shied away from any challenge by the Opposition. Lakhs of people had a holy dip in the ghats developed in Palnadu and this is making the YRSC nervous. Mr. Reddy had gone to Telangana to take a dip and now to divert public criticism, he has started levelling baseless allegations against me,’’ said Mr. Srinivasa Rao.
