Even as the "Telangana bandh" call given by Bharatiya Janata Party and the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist evoked a partial response in the 10 Telangana districts, Telugu Desam Party leaders were arrested in Hyderabad for attempting to disrupt the inauguration of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad on the city outskirts by United Progressive Alliance chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi during her day-long visit to Andhra Pradesh.
The BJP's bandh call, separately endorsed by the Maoists, was meant to mark protest against the delay in the formation of separate Telangana state by the Congress-led UPA government.
However, the bandh evoked mixed response though the BJP leaders and activists went around the towns and cities across Telangana to enforce the call.
In many places, the RTC buses remained off the roads as the BJP activists staged sit-ins in front of bus depots and prevented the buses from coming out.
They also damaged RTC buses in some places when the authorities did not heed their plea not to ply these public transport vehicles.
Shops and establishments in some places were shut, but in other places there was not much impact of the bandh.
At a few places, the BJP workers tried to stop train services. The police arrested scores of BJP leaders and workers at various places in Telangana districts.
Leaders and activists of the main opposition Telugu Desam Party were arrested in Hyderabad on Friday afternoon when they were proceeding to Shamshabad to mark their protest against naming of the new Hyderabad International Airport after late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Earlier in the day, the TDP members were suspended from the State Legislative Assembly for the day when they disrupted the proceedings of the House.
TDP members led by Deputy Floor Leader T Devender Goud wanted to move a resolution asking the Union and state governments to name the domestic terminal at the new airport after Telugu Desam founder and former chief minister, the late N T Rama Rao.
TDP members insisted that the new airport could be named as Hyderabad International Airport, with its international terminal named after Rajiv Gandhi and its domestic terminal after N T Rama Rao, as was the case with the existing airport at Begumpet, which is being closed down from early hours of March 16.
Rejecting their demand, Finance and Legislative Affairs Minister K Rosaiah said when the existing Begumpet airport was upgraded as international airport it was named after Rajiv Gandhi in 1997.
However, after renovation of the airport in 1999, NTR's name was added to the domestic terminal by the then National Democratic Alliance government.
Enraged over the minister's reply, TDP members rushed towards the speaker's podium, forcing the adjournment of the House for the tea-break.
After the House re-assembled, TDP members continued to stall the House.
Thereafter, Speaker K R Suresh Reddy ordered their suspension for the day. TDP members were evicted out of the House after a motion was adopted for their suspension.
From the Assembly, the suspended TDP members, along with party activists, headed straight towards Shamshabad airport to organise protests.
They were stopped by the police at Attapur near Rajendranagar on the way to the new airport.
The police arrested them and shifted them to Rayadurg police station. Devender Goud lashed out at Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, blaming him for 'indiscriminate" arrests of TDP workers and leaders since Thursday midnight.
Hyderabad and Cyberabad police clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code banning the assembly of five or more persons in the state capital as well as in and around Shamshabad in the wake of the bandh call by BJP and Maoists and the threat by TDP to disrupt the inaugural ceremony of the new airport.
