The Kanekal police on Saturday arrested Telugu Desam Party politburo member and former Minister Kalava Srinivasulu along with other party members at Uddehal in the district when they began to march in a rally up to Bommanahal to protest against the steep hike in the fuel prices. They were confined to the Kanekal police station till evening and then released.
Mr. Srinivasulu condemned the “high-handedness” of the police personnel in stopping the TDP from holding a peaceful rally to protest against the State government’s alleged inaction to protect public’s interests.
“We had informed the police one week in advance, but the Deputy Superintendent of Police, who is supposed to give the permission, stopped us as though we were criminals,” Mr. Srinivasulu alleged.
The leader said Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had promised to reduce/scrap the VAT once he comes to power, but on the contrary, he increased it manifold in the name of road cess and other taxes.
“It is ironical that not a single new road was laid in the State, but huge amounts have been collected in the name of road cess,” he said and pointed out that during the TDP regime, N. Chandrababu Naidu had reduced the fuel price by ₹2 a litre to help the common man. The State government lost ₹1,120 crore income, but reducing the burden on the people was the TDP’s priority, he added.
In Anantapur, former Urban MLA Vykuntham Prabhakar Chowdary led the party in a demonstration in front of the B.R. Ambedkar Statue to protest the fuel price hike.
