Visakhapatnam: The Chalo Ramateertham car rally jointly organised by the BJP and the Jana Sena protesting against desecretation the idol of Lord Rama led to tense moments in Ramateertham in Nellimerla mandal of Vizianagaram district on Tuesday.
State BJP president Somu Veerraju and other party leaders were taken into custody when they tried to break the cordon and tried to reach the temple. The Visakhapatnam police closed the BJP office on beach road to prevent leaders from gathering while many were put under house arrest.
Earlier, the BJP president had heated arguments with the police for not allowing them to reach the temple atop Bodikonda. In the melee, Veerraju fell to the ground.
Strongly condemning the destruction of Lord Rama idol in Sri Kodanda Ramaswamy Temple located atop (Bodikonda) the hill at Ramateertham under Nellimarla Mandal in Vizianagaram district, BJP-JSP planned the Chalo Ramateertham Rally from Vizag city to Ramateertham of Vizianagaram district on Tuesday.
The BJP chief Veerraju strongly condemned police curbs all along Vizag-Vizianagaram-Ramateertham route, where BJP and JSP planned the rally to deplore the inordinate delay in identifying the culprits involved in the vandalism of Lord Rama's idol.
Despite the huge deployment of police and restrictions, Veerraju along with BJP’s MLC P.V.N. Madhav and few others reached Ramateertham junction on Tuesday morning but were denied permission to climb the hill. After heated arguments and tussle with police personnel at Ramateertham junction, Veerraju and others were arrested.
BJP president Veerraju said that TD chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu and YSRC leader V. Vijaya Sai Reddy and few other YSRC’s ministers visited the Sri Kodanda Ramaswamy Temple, but the AP government prevented their visit to the temple.
The AP government is adopting double standards he said and sought the immediate resignation of minister for endowment Vellampalli Srinivasa Rao for his failure to protect the temples, he added.
The sentiments of Hindus is badly affected as the head of the Lord Rama idol was broken but no concrete steps were taken so far in apprehending the culprits, he pointed out.
The Vizianagaram police said that in view of the prevailing situation at Ramateertham, it has imposed Section 30 of the Police Act to prevent public meetings and protests.
Another BJP leader P. Vishnu Kumar Raju, who was placed under house arrest in Vizag city, said that AP government can’t obstruct their Chalo Ramateertham Rally and their party will organise the rally on some other day. The police in Vizag city also didn’t allow the BJP leaders and activists from their homes and thwarted activists' efforts to join in the rally.
