ELECTIONS

Angry AP Congress activists ransack office

By Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad
March 26, 2004 18:08 IST

Angry Congress party activists from various places in the state went on a rampage at the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad on Friday afternoon.

Party workers, shouting slogans against APCC president D Srinivas and other senior leaders, ransacked the premises, broke windowpanes and furniture and even attempted arson by throwing burning rags into the rooms from broken windows.

They also burnt an effigy of the PCC president.  They were protesting against the allotment of various assembly and Lok Sabha seats to Telangana Rashtra Samithi under an electoral alliance for ensuing polls.

They charged the APCC with sacrificing the interests of the party by giving away the party strongholds to the TRS. Some activists were unhappy over the selection of party candidates for assembly and Lok Sabha at some places.

The agitators, who had come from Mahbubnagar, Adilabad, Rangareddy and other districts continued their rampage for almost half-an-hour, prompting the PCC authorities to call in the police to drive away the protestors. 

Later, speaking to media, APCC president D Srinivas condemned the violence by irate party activists and declared acts of indiscipline would not be tolerated.

He admitted that there was some discontent among the party cadres over the allotment of 42 assembly and six Lok Sabha seats to the TRS under poll accord.

"In the interest of the party and in a bid to defeat Telugu Desam-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance in the state, the Congress had entered into alliance with TRS," he said.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the state, ruling TDP activists staged dharna and rasta rokos in several places in protest against the allotment of assembly seats to the BJP.

At Sultanabad, a TDP worker tried self-immolation by pouring kerosene on himself but timely intervention by the police averted his attempt. Local TDP cadres were protesting against allotment of Peddapalli seat ignoring the claims of the former legislator B Rajamallu.

At Mudhole, angry TDP activists took out a 'mock funeral' to protest against denial of ticket to local leader Narayan Rao Patel and giving away the seat to BJP. Some local leaders announced their resignation from party posts and raised slogans against TDP ex-MP for promoting groupism in Adilabad district.

At Atmakur in Nellore district, enraged TDP workers made a bonfire of the party flags while staging a protest march. In Kamareddy and Makthal, TDP activists staged rasta roko and dharna for allotting these seats to BJP.

Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad
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