Tension prevails in Gudivada as TDP, YSRCP activists indulge in verbal duel

Gudivada: Tension prevailed in Gudivada town of Krishna district on Sunday night as the TDP and the YSRCP functionaries were engaged in a heated argument over observing the death anniversary of former Congress MLA Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga Rao.

The TDP leaders in Gudivada decided to observe the death anniversary of V M Ranga on Monday. The YSRCP leaders came to know that the TDP leaders planned to organise a programme on the occasion.

The TDP activists alleged that YSRCP leader Merugumala Kali has made a phone call to former TDP MLA Ravi Venkateswara Rao and threatened to kill him if he organised a programme to mark the death anniversary of VM Ranga in Gudivada. The TDP functionaries reacted sharply over the issue and decided to go the residence of Kali to question him on the phone call he made. But, the alert police prevented the TDP workers from going to the residence of Kali.

As tempers flared, the two sides were engaged in a heated argument near the TDP office. However, the police swung into action and pacified the two sides.

Followers of former Minister and YSRCP MLA Kodali Nani and TDP leader Ravi Venkateswara Rao raised slogans in support of their leaders. The TDP supporters alleged that the Gudivada police caned them and chased them away. But the police failed to take action against the YSRCP workers.

VM Ranga was in Congress party when he was brutally murdered way back in 1988. The YSRCP leaders argue that the TDP has no right to organise a programme to mark his death anniversary. Interestingly, Vangaveeti Radhakrishna, son of V M Ranga, has a close association with the TDP leaders.