Telugu Desam Party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu was greeted with eggs, tomatoes and chappals at Visakhapatnam airport on Thursday, when he came to the port city to take part in “Praja Chaitanya Yatra,” against YSR Congress party government.
It was a sort of tit-for-tat experience for Naidu, as one could recall how YSRC president and present chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy was humiliated at the same Visakhapatnam airport three year ago, when he came there to take part in a rally demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh.
The only difference between now and then was that Jagan was not allowed even to come out of the airport because of the tense situation outside and was forced to return to Hyderabad by the same flight.
Now, Naidu could come out, but was not allowed to travel further as the YSRC workers stalled his convey by blocking the highway.
They shouted “Go Back Naidu,” slogans and even hurled eggs, tomatoes and chappals at his convoy. The police had a tough time in controlling the protesting YSRC workers.
A tense atmosphere prevailed at the airport as YSRC workers gathered there to protest against Naidu’s arrival to the port city. A large number of TDP supporters also reached the airport to welcome their party chief.
YSRCP leaders said the former chief minister had no moral right to visit Visakhapatnam after opposing it as the executive capital. There was a huge mobilization of police personnel outside the airport to prevent clashes between the two groups.
Police have denied permission to the TDP chief for taking out a rally from the airport to Pendurthy. Naidu, however, has vowed to go ahead with his two-day visit to north Andhra region.