Naidu reacted after YSRCP activists went on the rampage and destroyed an Anna Canteen which he was to inaugurate.
Published Aug 25, 2022 | 1:45 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 25, 2022 | 2:26 PM
TDP chief and former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu showing a TDP flag soaked with his supporter's blood at a roadshow in Kuppam on 25 August. (iTDP_Official/Twitter)
Former Chief Minister and TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday, 25 August dared Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy for a showdown in Kuppam, in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.
This comes after the YSRCP activists allegedly went on the rampage in the town and destroyed an Anna Canteen which he was to inaugurate and later resorted to attacks on TDP activists.
The TDP chief, after staging a sit-in at the destroyed Anna Canteen, addressed the crowd, asking them to be prepared for a long-drawn-out battle to oust the YSRCP from power.
He said, “At the moment, what you need is courage. Be tenacious and courageous. Don’t be afraid of anything.”
Naidu, on the second day of a three-day tour of his home constituency of Kuppam, said that the TDP workers had courage and the party always indulged in healthy politics.
ఖబడ్దార్ మిస్టర్ జగన్ రెడ్డి ?? pic.twitter.com/W26wUPOG5t
— iTDP Official (@iTDP_Official) August 25, 2022
TDP chief and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu staging a sit-in at Kuppam on Thursday, 25 August. (Supplied)
“We never encouraged the politics of hooliganism. We believe in values in politics,” he said.
He said it was a black day in the history of the Kuppam constituency.
“When the YSRCP workers were out on the rampage, where was the SP? We will not be cowed down by arm-twisting tactics of the police. We will go ahead with our programme despite the police,” he said.
Earlier, when he set out on a roadshow from his guest house towards the bus station, the YSRCP activists resorted to a show of strength, apparently intending to break the programme.
Apart from pulling down the Anna Canteen, they tore the flexies and flags of the TDP at several places in the town.
In some places, clashes took place between the YSRCP and TDP workers.
To quell the trouble, the police resorted to a lathi-charge at one point of time.
Meanwhile, at the DGP office in Amaravati, TDP workers staged a dharna in protest against the police allowing the YSRCP activists to have a free run of Kuppam.
Led by party president K Atchen Naidu, they tried to barge into the office, but the police prevented them. They raised slogans against the YSRCP government and the police.
అన్న క్యాంటీన్ పై వైసీపీ గుండాల దాడులకు నిరసనగా డీజీపీ ఆఫీస్ ని ముట్టడించిన తెలుగుదేశంపార్టీ నాయకులు,కార్యకర్తలు.. pic.twitter.com/BRkQiTkLnA
— iTDP Official (@iTDP_Official) August 25, 2022
Since morning, there was tension in Kuppam with YSRCP activists remaining determined to disrupt Naidu’s tour.
Normal life came to a standstill in the town with YSRCP giving a call for bandh. The streets wore a deserted look as shops and other business establishments downed their shutters.
The APSRTC buses did not ply as the authorities, fearing arson, confined them to bus depots.
The police set up road blockades to prevent unruly elements from having a free run of the town.
After a bloody clash on Wednesday in the Ramakuppam area of the constituency between the workers of the YSRCP and those of the TDP, the police made elaborate arrangements to prevent a repeat of the ugly incidents.
Bent on provoking the TDP workers, the YSRCP activists set up their party flags next to the TDP’s which triggered an angry exchange of words.
It soon deteriorated into a full-blown clash with both sides throwing stones at each other and later resorting to a showdown with sticks.
The police finally managed to disperse the crowd.
