The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Police foil TDP dharna

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Saturday, Mar 15, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Police foil TDP dharna

18 TDP members suspended for the day in Assembly
MIM wants new airport to be named after the Nizam

HYDERABAD: Police foiled an attempt by a group of TDP MLAs to proceed towards the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport for staging a dharna demanding that the domestic terminal be named after former Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao. They were arrested along with scores of party workers at Attapur, en route to the airport.

The MLAs, led by T. Devender Goud, staged a brief sit-in on the road when their vehicles were stopped by the police. Amidst slogans in support of the demand and denouncing the Government, they were bundled into a police van and taken to the Rayadurgam Police Station.

The arrested included Nagam Janardhan Reddy, E. Dayakar Rao, Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu, Padala Aruna, Lalitha Kumari, Sridevi, Sujatha, Narendra kumar, Narender Reddy, D. Uma Maheswara Rao and G. Sayyanna.

Dubbing the arrests ‘undemocratic’, Mr. Goud accused Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy of acting in a dictatorial fashion. He said people would teach a fitting lesson to the Government. TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu later met his party legislators at Rayadurgam police station.

Earlier, a furore was witnessed in the Assembly over naming of the Hyderabad international airport culminating in the suspension of 18 TDP members for the day.

Mr. Devender Goud made a passionate plea for naming the domestic terminal at Shamshabad after NTR in tune with the practice existing at Begumpet. TDP members mobbed the podium twice holding placards and raising full-throated slogans after Finance Minister K. Rosaiah expressed the Government’s inability to concede their demand, saying the issue was in the domain of the Civil Aviation Ministry.

The Minister replied that the existing airport would be not closed and as such, NTR name would continue there. He said the Civil Aviation Ministry issued an order to name the Shamshabad airport after Rajiv Gandhi even before its construction. Moreover, there would not be a domestic terminal at Shamshabad.

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