Vijayawada: In the wake of Congress's call for 'Chalo Secretariat' march protesting against unemployment, several party leaders were detained on Thursday for staging demonstrations and many were put under house arrest while Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president YS Sharmila spent last night in the party office to evade arrest.
A huge consignment of police force was deployed outside the APCC headquarters in Vijayawada since morning and barricades were set up in the area. Congress leaders including Mastan Vali and Rudra Raju were detained by the police.
Sharmila had reached Vijayawada on Wednesday evening to participate in the movement. She was supposed to stay at KVP Ramachandra Rao's residence in Ampapuram, Bapulapadu mandal. However, in view of leaders being put under house arrest, she spent the night at the party office so as to join the 'Chalo Secretariat' march this morning.
She said that it was a shame for the state government that being a woman she had to spend the night at the Congress office to evade house arrest. She asked whether they were terrorists or anti-social forces.
Taking to her X handle, Sharmila expressed her disappointment at the state government's failure to address problems faced by unemployment youths and slammed it for trying to suppress their movement. She said that the movement will continue despite all restrictions.
"Thousands of policemen were placed around us. Iron fences have been put up and we have been held hostage. If we stand on the side of the unemployed, they are arresting us. You are dictators who are trying to stop us. Your actions are proof of this. YCP Sarkar should apologise to the unemployed," she tweeted.
Earlier, former APCC president Gidugu Rudra Raju accused the CM of betraying the unemployed youth by not fulfilling his poll manifesto of releasing a job calendar every year and filling vacant posts through the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission.
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