ANANTAPUR: Tension prevailed in Kurnool city on Friday after activists of the Rayalaseema JAC reportedly led by the YSRC clashed with Telugu Desam cadres when TD chief N Chandrababu Naidu was on the final day of his three-day visit to Kurnool district.
Slogans of ‘Rayalaseema Drohi Chandrababu Go Back’ were raised against Naidu by the rival side as he was not supporting the judicial capital plan for Kurnool as part of the 3-capitals formula of the YSRC government.
The Naidu tour drew big responses in Pathikonda, Adoni and Emiganur in its first two days marked by the TD leader's scathing verbal attacks on chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, the citing of “failures” in developmental activities and the “apathetic conditions” of farmers. The scenario was different in Kurnool.
The Rayalaseema JAC with advocates, student unions and YSRC cadres staged the protest with placards and shouting slogans against Naidu supporting the single capital Amaravati plan and ignoring the decades-old Sribagh Pact.
The advocates on protest during the Naidu visit were detained by the police. The Advocates JAC lashed out at Naidu and said he had not right to tour Kurnool even though he hailed from the Rayalaseema region.
A group of activists of the student JAC tried to ransack the guest house where Naidu was staying. This led to a clash between JAC activists and TD cadres. Police disbursed the groups by restoring to a lathi-charge.
While the situation was out of control, Naidu took dig at the activists, branding them as YSRC goons and the “PayTM bach with Biryani.”
The opposition leader alleged that chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy was provoking the people in the name of regions, religions and caste following the huge response from the people for his tour in Kurnool district.
“I wouldn’t spare this paid-batch and am ready to stay here to clear everything. If I give a signal to my party cadres, they would beat the YSRC cadres to pulp after removing their clothes, across the state,” he warned.
Naidu said TD was the only party that developed Kurnool during its rule, including the launch of irrigation projects, while the YSRC government did nothing in the past three years.
Referring to allegations by the activists over the high court, Naidu made it clear he had already insisted on the setting up of a high court bench in Kurnool.
