Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Naxals' bravado on highway: narrow escape for TDP MLA

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD APRIL 1. A legislator belonging to the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had a brush with a posse of gun-toting naxalites of the People's War at Gamalapadu near Dachepalli on the Guntur-Hyderabad State Highway at 7.45 pm on Monday.

The legislator's vehicle, which reached Gamalapadu, screeched to a halt on noticing smashed "Thums Up'' bottles and crates across the road. While two lorries coming in the opposite direction were forcibly stopped by the naxalites, a lorry was parked to the left of the road in the direction in which the legislator's vehicle was also moving. The driver of the vehicle casually crossed the row of broken pieces of glass and managed to take the vehicle ahead. Then, a lorry driver beckoned at the driver of the MLA's vehicle to stop. Quite unmindful of what was happening, the driver brought the MLA's car to a halt. But, those travelling in the car could sense trouble and cautioned the driver that it was naxalites.

Suddenly, a naxalite, clad in a lungi and shirt, came straight to the legislator's vehicle and shouted at the driver to switch off the headlights. The driver immediately put off the lights. The legislator and his friends in the vehicle were shocked to find the naxalite wielding a carbine. At least six armed naxalites congregated there and began raising slogans against the US and its war against Iraq. Quite unusually, at least 50 persons gathered near each hotel on either side of the road and watched the show of the naxalites. The naxalites took out the crates containing soft drink bottles and threw them on the road.

The next five minutes seemed to be an eternity, as passengers in the MLA's vehicle mulled over different options on how to wriggle out of the crisis. On the suggestion of the legislator, the driver reversed the vehicle and zoomed away at break-neck speed for 10 minutes without switching on the headlights.

Recounting the sequence of events and a wild thought as to what would have happened if anything went wrong sent chills down the spines of everyone. If the naxalites identified the legislator, it would have resulted in a major disaster. After all, the naxalites were waiting for a big catch ever since RK (Polam Sudershan Reddy) was killed in the Lakshmipuram encounter. In view of the State bandh called for by the PW on April 8, the legislator would have been a prize catch for the extremists. Besides, they could have conveyed to the State Government a clear-cut message that they could strike at will and boosted the sagging morale of their cadres that the movement was going strong. It was only sheer providence that the legislator made good his escape under the cover of darkness.

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