On Babli yatra,TDP chief arrested

Naidu and his supporters were arrested and taken to a police station first,and later to the Industrial Technical Institute (ITI) building in Dharmabad. There were about 25 minibuses and 300 other vehicles in Naidu’s ‘bus yatra’,which reached Bidarai village on the Maharashtra-Andhra border around 1 pm on Friday. Police informed Naidu and others about the prohibitory orders in the area,after which the latter held a dharna and raised slogans against the Maharashtra government.

After a while,defying prohibitory orders,they tried to cross the border. The Maharashtra police arrested Naidu along with 30 MLAs,eight MPs and 75 others,senior police officials told The Indian Express.

Some TDP activists continued to protest on the other side of the border and alleged that the Maharashtra police had betrayed Naidu and others by promising to take them to the barrage site and then arresting them. Police said no such assurance had been made to the TDP leaders.

The Maharashtra government had deployed thousands of policemen at the border to stop Naidu and his supporters from crossing it.

Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil had,on Friday morning,warned Naidu that he would be arrested if he attempted to create any disturbance in the region. Patil had also warned Naidu against visiting the barrage,saying it may create a law and order problem.

Opposing Naidu’s move,an all-party rally led by Nanded MP Bhaskar Patil Khatgaonkar reached Dharmabad and raised slogans against Naidu,TDP and other Opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh. More than 10,000 people had assembled at the dam site around 11 am. However,they dispersed after a request from the police.

Maharashtra had started the 2.74 TMC project to bring around 8,000 hectares in Nanded district under irrigation. The Andhra government moved the Supreme Court against the project in 2006. Two hearings were held in 2007 and the court had allowed Maharashtra to construct the barrage but told the state not to install gates.

Don’t want bail,will stay in jail: Naidu
The former Andhra Pradesh chief minister has announced that he would prefer to stay in jail,rather than seek bail.

Late on Friday night,the police were trying to make arrangements to shift him and the other arrested leaders to a safe jail,probably in Nanded.

Sources said Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan had spoken to Naidu,asking him to withdraw the agitation. Naidu is said to have demanded a concrete assurance from Chavan over the issue and said he would announce his decision on the bail only after that.