Protesters block CM's convoy

By Our Staff Reporter

UNDI (W. Godavari), JUNE 17. Police resorted to lathicharge to disperse a group of CPI(M) and Congress(I) activists who tried to block the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu's convoy in Undi town of West Godavari district on Saturday. Several of the protesters, including the CPI(M) divisional secretary, Mr. B. Balaram, the Raithu Sangham district secretary, Mr. T. Hunumantha Rao, the SFI district president, Mr. D.N.D. Prasad, and another activist, Mr. P. Babji, suffered bleeding injuries. Police took into custody 50 persons in this connection.

Local units of the CPI(M) and the Congress(I) attempted to register their protest against the power tariff hike by blocking the way of the Chief Minister and showing black flags. The Chief Minister, who landed here around 2.30 p.m. as part of the inspection of the clean and green programme, proceeded to inaugurate a cement concrete unit in the town. The protesters tried to block the way and raised slogans. Police removed the squatters and shifted them into vans. Later, the protesters staged a rasta roko on the bridge across the Undi channel blocking traffic on the Undi-Bhimavaram highway. The police caned the protesters and took some of them into custody. Police resorted to lathicharge at two other places too.

Later talking to reporters, the Chief Minister regretted the incident, saying the police should have avoided the lathicharge. However, he found fault with the protesters for trying to disrupt his tour causing inconvenience to himself and the public. Instead of representing the matter at the proper forum, the Left and the Congress(I) were trying to politicise the issue and indulge in ``undemocratic methods of protest''.

Mr. Naidu, who addressed the meetings at two places, was critical of the functioning of the CPI(M)-led Governments in Kerala and West Bengal. He said the Communist party in Kerala failed to create proper work culture in the State leading to brain drain. The caliber of the hardworking and intelligent Keralites was of little help to develop the State. The qualified technocrats from the State had been successful elsewhere in the world. Many countries had progressed with the involvement of Keralites in the crucial sectors. He said the development process had got stagnated in West Bengal and there was no industrial progress. One could well compare the living standards of Bengalis with those of Andhras by watching Bengal TV channel. The per capita consumption of power in West Bengal was 190 units as against 480 units in Andhra Pradesh.

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