Scores of activists of CPI (M) and CPI were taken into police custody on Saturday, when they tried to obstruct the convoy of Union Minister for Urban Development M. Venkaiah Naidu while he was leaving the Hotel Gateway here, denouncing his ‘failure’ in securing special category status to Andhra Pradesh.
Those who were detained included parties’ city secretaries Ch. Babu Rao and Donepudi Sankar. Mr. Naidu was heading for Nellore after participating in a seminar organised by Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of Andhra Pradesh (ALEAP), when the protestors shouted slogans and squatted on the road holding him responsible for the delay in grant of the special status.
The posse of police personnel, deployed there well in advance, foiled the attempts of the Left parties’ workers to block the Minister’s vehicle. Mr. Babu Rao said that Mr. Naidu’s claim of his relentless fight for special status for the past 10 years proved a lie as he action showed it all.
Later, Mr. Naidu also said that encroachment of the land belonging to the Endowments Department was rampant. After having darshan of Lord Venkateswara at a new temple at Dokiparru , he appealed to the people to encourage construction of more temples to prevent encroachment of government land under the control of Endowments Department.
