BJP leaders arrested for staging ‘rasta roko’

Raising issues: BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu being taken away in a police van in Hyderabad on Friday.

HYDERABAD: Several senior leaders of the BJP, including M. Venkaiah Naidu and Bangaru Laxman, were arrested on Friday after they staged a ‘rasta roko’ at Khairatabad crossroads against the rising prices. Traffic came to a halt for some time.

Police resorted to a mild lathicharge to disperse the large number of party activists. The arrested activists, who originally planned a ‘jail bharo’ programme, were taken to the Shivkumar Lal Stadium, Goshamahal, and released in the evening.

Among those arrested were N. Indrasena Reddy, national secretary, Bandaru Dattatreya, State president, Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, U.V. Krishnam Raju, former Union Ministers, G. Kishan Reddy, MLA, K. Laxman, general secretary, Chintala Ramachandra Reddy, president, Greater Hyderabad unit, which organised the protest.

Prior to their arrest, senior leaders addressed the gathering. They said the State executive meeting here on June 28 and 29 would finalise the agitation programme to protest shortage of fertilizers and seed and demanding increased minimum support price for paddy.

Dattatreya flags off rallies

Prelude to BJP leader L. K. Advani’s ‘Vijay Sankalp Yatra’

— Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

Mobilising support: BJP State president Bandaru Dattatreya and others participating in a motorcycle rally on Sunday .

HYDERABAD: State BJP president B. Dattatreya on Sunday flagged off scooter rallies in Khairatabad and Jubilee Hills areas to campaign in connection with the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate L.K. Advani’s public meeting here as part of ‘Vijay Sankalp Yatra’.

Flagging off the rallies, he urged the cadres to visit every household and create awareness on the reasons for the economic situation, price rise and vote-bank politics. He told them to highlight problems like bad condition of city roads. Greater Hyderabad BJP unit president Chintala Ramachandra Reddy led the Khairatabad rally.

Speculations galore over GHMC polls

E ven as there is no sign of elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) at sight, political parties seem to be racking their brains over the poll prospects and whom to be fielded and where. However, none of the leaders are certain about the elections to the civic body.

Elections were supposed to be held before April 14, 2008 according to the 74th Constitu tional amendment, which specifies that polls should be conducted within a year of the formation of any new civic body. The GHMC came into existence by merging surrounding municipalities on April 14, 2007. Officials from the GHMC said it was just the political will that mattered in deciding the elections.

BJP city chief Chintala Ramachandra Reddy said this time they had a very good chance of winning several seats. When asked how it was possible when the party had just one MLA, Chintala said the party had very good base in the city.

Telugu Desam (TD) city chief Vijay Rama Rao was optimistic and said the wresting of Secunderabad seat from the TRS in the recent by-elections itself indicated that people were for the TD and they would get good results in the forthcoming polls to the GHMC. Majlis-Ittahadul-Muslimeen leader Akbaruddin Owaisi said they had all the advantage and they would get more segments this time. “We are going to win all seats that we contest,” he stated.

The Praja Rajyam Party and the Communists are yet to get ready for these elections while the Lok Satta is hopeful that they would make a mark this time. Lok Satta president Jayprakash Narayan said they were in the race and they proved it in the Khairatabad by-election. Telangana Rashtra Samiti leader Tarakara Rama Rao said in the recent by-polls the party suffered some setback, but now they were ready. Nava Telangana Praja Party leader Devendar Goud did not agree with the point that the Telangana votes would get divided. “Some strategy will be worked out to see that the Telangana votes are consolidated and the goal is achieved,” he said.

Blood donation camps to mark Vajpayee's birthday

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh BJP organised blood donation camps on the occasion of Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee s 85th birthday today.

The state unit president and former union minister Bandaru Dattatreya inaugurated a blood donation camp at Barkatpura by donating blood in which BJP MLA G Kishan Reddy, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) president Chintala Ramachandra Reddy and others participated.

On the occasion, the party workers organised various programmes including distribution of fruits to the patients, mass feeding in 150 municipal divisions under the limits of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.

Pen-down stir hits GHMC town planning wing

HYDERABAD: Work in the town planning wing of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) came to a standstill for the last four days with the staff resorting to a pen-down strike. The employees have been on strike demanding withdrawal of cases filed against their colleagues and arrest of MIM MLA Afsar Khan.

As the town planners stopped have been on strike since Monday in the head office and zonal offices, building permissions, road-widening works and clearance of layout regulation scheme applications have been affected. In the head office, the staff has even closed the doors of the wing. Chief city planner B Purushottam Reddy has been on leave for the past one week.

It may be recalled that the MIM legislator opened fire in the air when the town planning employees tried to demolish an unauthorised portion of a building at Chapel Road in Abids on July 25. Abids police have registered cases against the GHMC chief city planner and four other officials on the complaint of MIM MLAs, Moazam Khan and Afsar Khan. The legislators alleged that the town planning staff attempted to murder them.

The next day, the Abids police registered a case against Afsar Khan for opening fire in the air.

The town planning staff got anticipatory bail a couple of days ago.

The joint action committee of town planning employees said they would continue the strike until the police arrested the MIM MLA and withdraw the case against their colleagues .

Meanwhile, BJP city president Chintala Ramachandra Reddy along with others met GHMC commissioner C V S K Sarma on Friday and picked up argument with him for not taking up the case of his own staff.

Dattatreya challenges State on price rise

State BJP chief addresses a human chain

ON THE WARPATH: State BJP president Bandaru Dattatreya at a protest meet in Hyderabad on Tuesday. — PHOTO: G. KRISHNASWAMY

HYDERABAD: State BJP president Bandaru Dattatreya has challenged the Government to come forward for an open discussion on the rising prices of essential commodities instead of making false claims.

Mr. Dattatreya, who was addressing a human chain formed at Liberty Circle as a part of the Jan Jagaran agitation of the party on Tuesday, said the Government was least bothered about the price rise and no essential commodity was available at an affordable price even after Ministers issued statements of controlling the price rise.

Black marketers

Onions are selling at Rs. 16 per kg despite the Government promising to supply at Rs. 6.50 per kg.

Black marketers have stored more than two lakh tonnes of pulses leading to price rise but the Government has so far not raided a single dealer.

He reminded that Congress president Sonia Gandhi had warned all the Congress Chief Ministers to control prices at a special meeting held last year, but the prices have only spiralled.

He said Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy has proudly claimed that ration cards have been increased from two crores to four crores but there is nothing in the ration shops to supply.

10 litres

Earlier, white ration cardholders used to draw 18 litres of kerosene, but now that is reduced to 10 litres only.

He said the "Jan Jagaran" agitation would continue till February 15 all over the State.

Later, he released a list of comparative prices of essential commodities during the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Governments (see graphics).

BJP protest blocks traffic

Kishen Reddy, Prem Singh Rathore among those arrested

---

Malls held responsible for the steep rise in prices

State accused of failing to rein in hoarders

---

Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

For a cause: BJP leaders, led by party’s State president Bandaru Dattatreya, trying to enter the civil supplies office in Hyderabad on Friday. —

HYDERABAD: Traffic was disrupted on the busy Somajiguda – Punjagutta stretch on Friday following a demonstration organised by the city unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in front of the Civil Supplies Bhavan to protest against rising prices of essential commodities.

The party activists squatted on the main road and raised slogans against the Central and State governments for failing to control the prices of essential commodities.

This caused a hindrance to the traffic flow and serpentine queue of vehicles extended up to the Punjagutta junction.

Addressing the gathering, the BJP Greater Hyderabad president Chintala Ramachandra Reddy held the government responsible for the rising prices that had hit the lower and middle class families.

He alleged that malls in the city were indulging in hoarding of essential commodities, which is leading to steep rise in the prices of essential commodities.

He charged the government of having failed to take action against such hoarders.

Rice scheme flayed

BJP State president Bandaru Dattatreya accused the State and Central governments of failing to control the increasing prices of essential commodities. The government had introduced Rs. 2-a-kg rice scheme only to woo voters for the forthcoming elections.

Later, party activists tried to enter the Civil Supplies Bhavan, but the police prevented them from entering the premises and took the leaders, including G. Kishen Reddy and BJP State Secretary Prem Singh Rathore into custody.

It took more than an hour for traffic police to regulate the movement of vehicular traffic on the stretch.

Source : The Hindu.