Chandrababu Naidu, son put under house arrest in Andhra

Amaravati: Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday made a futile bid to venture out of his house at Undavalli here to proceed to Palnadu region in Guntur district as part of his 'Chalo Atmakuru' call against alleged eviction of some villagers.

Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police D Gautam Sawang issued a statement, through the Chief Minister's Office, that Naidu was taken into "preventive custody" as "his actions are increasing tensions and creating disturbance to law and order in the Palnadu region of Guntur district."

A large contingent of police, including several DSPs, tied the main entrance gate of Naidu's riverfront residence with ropes and also shut other gates to prevent him from coming out.

Talking to reporters inside the compound, the former Chief Minister termed the police action as "atrocious" and "unprecedented in history."

"The situation is horrible. Many of our party leaders, including MPs and MLAs, have been taken into custody at various places. Several others were kept under house arrest," Naidu said.

The Leader of Opposition announced that he would not give up and certainly undertake the Atmakuru visit whenever police allowed him. Alleging that about 120 Scheduled Caste families have been driven out of their village by the YSR Congress and police, he said, "They are taking shelter in a camp organised by the TDP. I wanted to take them back to the village and ensure that everyone there lived in harmony."

"I will see how long they will keep me under house arrest. I will not be cowed down. I will stand by the victims and fight for their rights," Naidu asserted.

Countering the TDP chief's claims, state Animal Husbandry Minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana said Naidu was indulging in "shameless politics" by using "paid artists" as victims.