Several BJP leaders, including former Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, were arrested when the BJYM attempted to lay siege to the Secretariat, in support of the hunger strike of MLAs on the power problem. Some 50 leaders, including Dattatreya, city BJYM president L Narender Reddy and others were arrested by the police.
The activists tried to raid the Secretariat thrice and police foiled their attempts by arresting them,
First the activists gathered at the Lumbini Park near the Secretariat. Police prevented them from proceeding towards the Secretariat. They arrested the activists and whisked away them to the Nampalli police station. Meanwhile, police had information that Dattatreya was leading another group of protestors and posted a large posse at the main gate of the Secretariat. Police stopped them. When the activists resisted, there was tension. Police and BJP activists pushed and jostled each other. Party workers raised slogans demanding rollback of the tariff and against the Chief Minister.
Speaking on the occasion, Dattatreya charged the Kiran Kumar Reddy government with adopting “anti-people” policies. He said it was atrocious that the government imposed the power tariff hike on the people who were already suffering from increased prices of essential commodities. Stating that the days of Congress were numbered, Dattatreya warned Kiran Kumar Reddy that he and his government would soon face the wrath of the people. Asserting that the agitation would not be given up until the hiked tariff was rolled back, Dattatreya said they would take the stir to village level and intensify it. (NSS)
