Chandrababu Naidu attacked with eggs, tomatoes, slippers at Vizag airport

YSRCP workers on Thursday (February 27) attacked Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu’s convoy with tomatoes, eggs, and slippers after his vehicle was blocked by ruling party members in front of the Visakhapatnam airport.

The party workers, who were calling him ‘Uttarandhra Drohi’ (deceiver of north-coastal Andhra), stated that the former chief minister had no moral right to visit Visakhapatnam after opposing it as the executive capital.

The party members, who were shouting ‘Go Back, Naidu’ slogans at him, also squatted on the road in an attempt to block the former chief minister’s convoy from leaving the airport.

As a response, TDP workers countered with their own slogans, leading to tension in the area.

However, Visakhapatnam city Commissioner of Police Rajiv Kumar Meena said there were “no clashes” between workers of the two parties.

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Naidu was later taken into preventive custody after five hours at the airport for his safety as the ruling YSR Congress workers staged a protest opposing his visit, police said.

A notice under Section 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure was served on Naidu and he was taken into preventive custody “because of his safety and security”,  said.

The Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly was sent back into the VIP lounge inside the airport here. “He has cooperated with us and agreed to go to the VIP lounge at the airport. Though we initially tried to allow him to go ahead with his planned programme, there were too many protestors and so we decided to take him into preventive custody for his safety,” Meena said.

The TDP chief arrived here on Thursday afternoon from Vijayawada en route to Vizianagaram as part of his state-wide Praja Chaitanya yatra. He was supposed to visit Gopalapatnam and other areas near Visakhapatnam but the YSRC organised a protest opposing his visit.

“Police have failed in their duties,” Naidu said.

He added that the TDP would approach the high court and take legal recourse to continue with his ‘yatra’.