In all, 500 trade union members and Left party workers courted arrest in the district as part of the nation-wide ‘Jail Bharo’ programme called by 11 trade union organisations resenting the anti-people policies and the inept governance of the UPA-II.
At Tirupati, nearly 400 demonstrators, led by CITU district secretary, K. Murali and others were taken into custody, when they held angry protests and sit-in in front of the BSNL complex. At Chittoor, about 90 had to be taken into custody for a similar picketing in front of the Collectorate, even as reports of demonstrations have come in from other major towns of the district.
Murali, in a release, said that the ‘Jail Bharo’ agitation would be staged on Wednesday also to motivate and galvanise the cadres and the working class for the two-day All India General Strike called for February 20 and 21.