Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu, staged a sit-in protest at the Tirupati airport lounge for several hours on Monday, after the state police detained him from going ahead to the temple town to lead protests organised by his party.
The TDP planned a rally in Tirupati to protest the alleged repressive actions of the ruling side against their party contestants in the municipal polls fray.
Stating that the TDP protest was not permitted because of the model election code and Covid-19 pandemic, the police barred the opposition leader from exiting the airport on Monday morning.
After the Panchayat polls held last month, where the YSRCP showed dominance, elections to 12 municipal corporations and 75 municipalities are scheduled to take place on March 10.
Naidu slammed the Jaganmohan Reddy government and said that the “fear-driven, state-sponsored vendetta' would not stop or silence the TDP from reaching out to the public.
TDP leaders alleged that the mobile phones of Naidu and his personal assistant were also snatched.
"Why am I being unreasonably detained at the airport? Am I going to commit any murder? Do I not have fundamental rights …?” the opposition leader could be heard questioning in a video, before he squatted on the lounge floor.
The scene was reminiscent a similar episode in January 2017 when Naidu was the Chief Minister and Reddy was blocked by the police at the arrivals gate and denied entry into the Visakhapatnam airport.
Reddy, then the opposition leader, was visiting the port city in solidarity with protests planned for AP's Special Category Status. Jagan had reportedly cautioned the police and Vizag airport personnel that he would become the CM in two years. After a brief sit-in protest near the tarmac, Jagan was sent back to Hyderabad on another flight.
On Monday, Naidu continued with his protest for over eight hours and after 7 PM went back to Hyderabad.
TDP leaders voiced their objections over the “ill-treatment” of their leader and held demonstrations in some places.
TDP General Secretary Nara Lokesh said that 'Jaganocracy' is in rule in AP “in total disregard for democracy and fundamental rights of the people.”
The Tirupati airport incident occurred almost exactly one year after the Vizag airport incident when Naidu, on 27 February 2020, was detained by the police as he embarked his car to visit the areas where lands were allegedly encroached by the YSRCP leaders.
Visakhapatnam airport premises had witnessed tense, disorderly scenes for a few hours as scores of men said to be YSRCP supporters jammed his convoy from moving out.