Visakhapatnam: Supporters of TRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao were a disappointed lot on Sunday after being stopped by the police from meeting him.
Mr Rao’s supporters had put up banners and hoardings right from the airport to Chinamushidivada where Mr Rao visited the Sri Sarada Peetham and prayed to Goddess Rajasyamala under the guidance of Peethadhipati Swaroopanandendra Saraswati.
At the airport, Mr Rao had received a warm welcome and his supporters had hoped to meet him.
However, the police had arranged tight security for Mr Rao. Telangana state police had taken charge of the security of the ashram from Satur-day night. This not only raised the hackles of other political leaders but also left Mr Rao’s supporters, particularly those from Velama community, upset.
Mr Konijeti Adinaray-ana, a fan from Kakinada, who came to the port city to meet Mr Rao, was stopped by the Telangana state police from doing so. The local police also refused to give permission to Mr Adinarayana to take out a bike rally.
Another supporter, Mr Pusarlapati Ramana Raju, staged a protest at the ashram.
Representatives of the Velama community rais-ed slogans demanding that Mr Rao meet them. Meanwhile, members of the AP Pratyeka Hoda Porata Samiti came with an open letter addressed to Mr Rao, seeking his support in their fight for Special Category Status for AP. The letter was sent to Pragathi Bhavan, the CM’s camp office, in Hyderabad.
After performing special prayers, Mr Rao and his family took the blessings of Swami Swaroopanandendra. they left for Bhubaneswar in the evening as he continued his political-spiritual yatra. He met his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar and will visit Konark temple and Puri Jagannath temple on Monday.
