Date:19/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/19/stories/2008111954750400.htm

Andhra Pradesh

TDP stages dharna at Babli site

P. Rammohan Rao

BABLI (Maharashtra): Noisy scenes were witnessed in this small town between a team of Telugu Desam leaders and the Maharashtra police when the latter insisted that they would allow only the visiting leaders to go to the Babli project, without the accompanying presspersons.

A team of TDP leaders led by MP E. Dayakar Rao and others arrived here at 7.15 p.m. after going around five small irrigation projects being taken up across the River Godavari in this State. By the time they reached here, a strong police presence was in place to restrain the crowds objecting to the visit of the TDP leaders and prevent a law and order situation. Even as they argued with police, the law enforcement officials were unrelenting. Finally, the TDP leaders drove without the media to the project site. However, when they found the lights were switched off and they could not see anything at the site, they staged a dharna for about half-an-hour and shouted slogans. Others in the visiting delegation included MLC Sudhakar Rao, MLA Vem Narender Reddy, former Ministers Kadiam Srihari, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy and Mandava Venkateswara Rao.

Speaking to presspersons after returning from the site, they demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah for failure to stop Maharashtra from taking up projects that would ultimately leave Telangana ‘bone-dry’. Mr. Dayakar Rao alleged that works on three of the 12 projects were undertaken by relatives of the Chief Minister.