Maha govt treated us as political prisoners: Naidu

A day after he was sent packing to Andhra Pradesh along with his supporters, Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu slammed the Maharashtra government on Wednesday saying it treated them as "political prisoners" during their five-day detention at Dharmabad in the neighbouring state.

"The Maharashtra government did not treat us as elected public representatives. It only treated us as political prisoners," Naidu said, addressing a 'dharna' organised by the party in front of Mahatma Gandhi statue on the state assembly premises in Hyderabad.

The dharna was organised denouncing the Maharashtra government's 'misbehaviour' against Chandrababu Naidu and the TDP legislators during their detention when they went to inspect the controversial Babhli irrigation project.

"They tried to physically and mentally intimidate us. They tried to torment us in all ways possible. I have not come across such an atrocious situation in my 32-year political career," he said.

Hitting out at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah, the TDP chief said, "He is the most inefficient CM the state has ever had. He is so shameless that he remained a silent spectator when his fellow legislators from the state were treated so inhumanly by the neighbouring state."

Rosaiah has no authority to continue in his position, the TDP president said.

"It's only due to God's grace and blessings of Mahatma Gandhi that TDP legislators returned alive from Maharashtra. The whole episode was an affront to Telugu pride and a grave insult to the entire Telugu people," he added.