Highway blocked for stir near Madikonda

Warangal/Adilabad: Protesting against police attack on Congress men in Hyderabad on Saturday, Warangal party activists staged a rasta roko on Hyderabad-Warangal highway near Madikonda on Sunday. Traffic on the route was disrupted for more than an hour. Police arrested the leaders after they refused to withdraw from the protest even after repeated requests. Similar protests were held at many centres in Warangal with Congress cadres shouting slogans against the TRS government.

At Pochamma Maidan, Congress activists burnt the effigy of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao. Former minister Basvaraju Saraiah said the Chief Minister was relocating the Secretariat with an aim to earn money through real estate. "Instead of resolving people's problems, Mr Chandrasekhar Rao is bothered about the vastu of the Secretariat. He is wasting a lot of public money. Instead, the TRS leaders should think of fulfilling the promises made during hustings," he said. Similar protests were held in Kothaguda, Wardannapet, Parkal and many other places. Congress leaders Naini Rajender Reddy, Rajaiah, Vidyasagar and others took part in the protests.

In Adilabad district, Congress leaders staged a rasta roko in Adilabad town and other places in protest against the arrest of TPCC president Ponnala Lakshmaiah and other leaders in Hyderabad on Saturday when they took out a rally opposing the proposal to relocate the Secretariat on the grounds of 'bad vastu'. DCC working president Naresh Jadhav described the arrest of Congress leaders as fascist which was aimed at stifling the voice of the Opposition parties. He wanted the state government to order an inquiry into the high-handedness of the police. He said people will teach a lesson to the TRS in the future if it continued to rule the state with the same attitude. Congress leaders Sajid Khan, Munegela Narsingh, Doni Jyoti, Kandula Sukhender and Ajay and others took part in the rasta rako.