A tense atmosphere is prevailing in Kuppam assembly constituency in Chittoor district on Wednesday with the police imposing severe restrictions on the visit of Telugu Desam Party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandababu Naidu for three days.
Hundreds of policemen were deployed at Santhipuram in Kuppam, where Naidu is scheduled to address a road show during the day.
The Palamaneru sub-divisional police officer C M Gangaiah already issued a notice to the TDP leaders that there is no permission for Naidu’s roadshows or public meetings on roads.
The police rejected the application of the TDP leaders for Naidu’s meeting at NTR statue centre at Santhipuram.
The police seized the Prachara Ratham (the campaign vehicle) and the other vehicle carrying the sound system from the TDP leaders and detained the drivers and other party cadre.
The TDP leaders say they have already sought the requisition to the police for using sound system for Naidu’s meeting. Hundreds of police from various parts of the district were mobilised at Santhipuram in view of Naidu’s meeting.
They alleged that the police had removed the stage set up at Kenamakulapalli where Naidu was supposed to speak to the locals, as part of the Rachabanda programme.
The police took hundreds of TDP workers into custody when they were trying to stage demonstrations on Palamaneru national highway for being prevented from going to Kuppam to attend Naidu’s meeting.
TDP leaders said Naidu’s personal assistant Manohar who is making arrangements for Naidu’s visit to Kuppam was detained at the police station.
It will be interesting to see whether he would be taken into custody if he enters the constituency.
