Tension prevailed at the Visakhapatnam Airport in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday as ruling YSRCP workers gathered there to protest against Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu's visit to the coastal city.
A large number of Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supporters also reached the airport to welcome their party chief.
Naidu was arriving on his first visit to the port city after it was declared the executive capital by YSRCP government last month.
Carrying party flags and banners, TDP leaders and workers reached the airport to welcome Naidu. YSRCP workers also gathered there to protest against Naidu's visit. Holding black flags, they were raising slogans of "Babu go back".
YSRCP leaders said the former chief minister had no moral right to visit Visakhapatnam after opposing it as the executive capital. Naidu is leading the movement to demand that Amaravati be retained as the only state capital.
There was a huge mobilisation of police personnel outside the airport to prevent clashes between the two groups.
YSRCP workers protest against Chandrababu Naidu's visit to #Visakhapatnam. Raise slogans of 'go back' at Vizag airport and attempt to block his convoy pic.twitter.com/DzSnqwl6B8
— Nitin B (@NitinBGoode) February 27, 2020
Police have denied permission to the TDP chief for taking out a rally from the airport to Pendurthy.
Naidu, however, has vowed to go ahead with his two-day visit to north Andhra region. While heading for Vizianagaram district, he is scheduled to stop at Pendurthy to meet the people whose lands were being acquired by the government as part of a housing scheme for the poor.
The state Assembly last month passed two Bills for decentralisation of state capital. Visakhapatnam and Kurnool will be developed as the two other capitals in addition to Amaravati. Visakhapatnam will be developed as the executive capital while Kurnool will be developed as judicial capital. The state Assembly will continue to function in Amaravati.