Several MPs from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) were detained by the Delhi police as they sat on a protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence on Sunday morning, demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh.
The MPs were forcibly removed by policemen and security personnel from outside 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in the national capital, even as they continued shouting slogans and waving placards.
According to reports, they were detained and taken to the Tughlaq Road Police Station.
Delhi: TDP MPs protest outside prime minister's residence at Lok Kalyan Marg over demand of special category status for Andhra Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/qHOzGjuGIq
— ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2018
Delhi: TDP MPs detained as they staged protest outside prime minister's residence at Lok Kalyan Marg over demand of special category status for Andhra Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/kLR6VvZwQf
— ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2018
The TDP had staged a similar protest at the chambers of Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Friday after they failed to get an appointment with her. They had to be forcefully removed later in the evening.
On Thursday, the Rajya Sabha witnessed high-voltage drama even after its proceedings were adjourned for the day, as the TDP members continued their protest over their demand for Special Category Status (SCS) for Andhra Pradesh.
The hours-long drama ended at night only after the TDP MPs were marshalled out from the House.
The TDP members, who staged dharna inside the House even after the adjournment in the post-lunch session, described their eviction from the House as an "insult of Andhra Pradesh".
Meanwhile, all five Lok Sabha MPs of YSR Congress party resigned this week, and are on a hunger strike at Andhra Bhavan in Delhi.
The MPs are YV Subbareddy, Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy, YS Avinash Reddy, V Varaprasad Rao and PV Mithun Reddy.
Since then, TDP supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu hinted that unlike YSRCP, his party MPs would not resign.
The CM said that his party MPs would instead continue to fight and agitate and not run away from the scene.
Launching an attack on the Centre, Naidu warned that the TDP will agitate more vociferously, if the Centre didn’t accord SCS to the state.