The Andhra Pradesh police on Thursday arrested AP Congress president Y S Sharmila at Andhra Rathna Bhavan, the AP Congress headquarters in Vijayawada. Sharmila condemned the arrest and said that the government was more dictatorial.
The police arrested her when she tried to move out of the Andhra Rathna Bhavan to Secretariat, as part of the Congress Party’s call of Chalo Secretariat seeking mega DSC from the State government. She said that chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had promised to release the job calendar every year and had promised to fill the teacher posts through DSC. However, the job calendar was never released, and the DSC was never conducted, she said.
Sharmila alleged that the government was scared of the Congress. The government had become more dictatorial by arresting the opposition leaders. She wondered why the chief minister is scared of the opposition leaders.
The police have first arrested CWC leader Gidugu Rudra Raju and Sunkara Padmasri. Later, they arrested Sharmila. The police have posted heavy security at Andhra Rathna Bhavan and all the way to Velagapudi secretariat. They have blocked the roads and conducted thorough checks along the road. They prevented the Congress workers from moving on the roads leading to the secretariat.
Earlier, Sharmila slept in the Andhra Rathna Bhavan fearing that she would be arrested by the police. She took a rest in the Andhra Rathna Bhavan and planned to go to Velagapudi. However, the police prevented the Congress leaders from coming out of the party office.
The police have also arrested several Congress leaders and kept some under house arrest. The Congress leaders were not allowed to move on the roads leading to mild clashes between the Congress leaders and the police.
The police also posted several teams in Guntur, Krishna and NTR districts, besides keeping the senior leaders under house arrest in various districts across the state. The party leaders who tried to come out of their homes were also arrested and shifted to the nearest police station.
Earlier in the day, Sharmila sat in protest at the Andhra Rathna Bhavan in Vijayawada. She raised slogans against the state government. She also demanded that the state government take up teacher recruitment through the DSC.
