Eggs hurled at Naidu's convoy

Tight security arrangements made for TDP chief's padayatra

Acting tough: Police preventing Telangana activists from obstructing TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu's ‘Rythu Poru Bata' in Adilabad district on Wednesday. — PHOTO: ARRANGEMENT

Telangana protagonists on Wednesday tried to obstruct the padayatra of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu at Uday Naik thanda. Also, unknown persons hurled eggs which landed on the jammer vehicle when the convoy reached Utnoor X road later in the day.

Though the one day programme of Mr. Naidu at Utnoor mandal in Adilabad district went off as planned, the two incidents had come as a surprise to the police who made tight security arrangements, including preventive arrests of some pro-Telangana activists, in the wake of a call issued by Telangana Joint Action Committee (T-JAC) to obstruct Mr. Naidu's yatra.

The TDP chief covered some 14 km on foot as part of the ‘Rythu Poru Baata' intended to highlight the problems faced by farmers. He stopped briefly in agriculture fields along his route that was dotted by villages and hamlets inhabited predominantly by Banjara tribes.

Interacting with farmers, Mr. Naidu accused the Congress government of adopting anti-farmer policies. “While the cost of agriculture inputs has increased manifold, the price of the produce has gone down due to the anti-farmer policies of this government,” he alleged. At Yenda thanda, farmers urged him to make efforts for loan waiver. The TDP chief vowed to struggle for the cause of farmers.

Mr. Naidu announced an ex gratia of Rs. 20,000 from his party funds to the family of a farmer of Perkaguda who committed suicide some time ago and also promised free education for his son. The TDP president opposed development of the Tiger Reserve replacing the Kawwal Wildlife Sanctuary saying the government was alienating tribal people from nature as the project sought to re-locate some villages. Mr. Naidu addressed a large gathering at Utnoor before winding up his tour. The gathering comprised party workers mobilised from the Assembly constituencies of Adilabad, Boath, Nirmal, Khanapur, Asifabad and Mancherial.

TDP songs with a Telangana flavor

There was no mistaking the similarity in the rhythm of the pro-Telangana song Osmania campus lo udayinchina kiranama... and Rythu koraku ranam cheyya Chandrababu kadilera ... that blared out of loud speakers during the Rythu Poru Bata of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu in Adilabad on Wednesday. The ‘copying' was perhaps intended to show people in the region that TDP relates itself with the separate Telangana cause as Mr. Naidu treads the territory.

The TDP song has even been sung by one of the many private singers in the region who had brought out the pro-Telangana song during the Sakala Janula Samme. While the Telangana song mentions the districts in the region, the other one which eulogises the struggle of the TDP chief in solving farmers problems makes mention of districts from other regions as well. Copying of rhythm or other aspects in a song in not unknown in the world of politics.