Chiranjeevi Protests At APIIC Office

Police, on Monday, took Praja Rajayam Party president K Chiranjeevi and other party leaders in custody for defying its orders and going ahead with a protest outside the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) office at Basheer Bagh.

The PRP chief, along with his party members, was protesting to press the party's demands of a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the irregularities in allotment of prime property by the APIIC to individuals and companies.

He also demanded that the government return the lands acquired from the farmers. The PRP chief said that the government must release a 'White Paper' on the deals handled by the APIIC during the past 6 years.

Chiranjeevi also condemned the attack by activists of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and Bharatiya Janata Party on the convoy of Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu earlier in the day.

Police had denied the PRP permission to hold the dharna, on apprehension of the protestors being attacked by activists of the Telangana Students Joint Action Committee.

The TSJAC activists are at loggerheads with the PRP chief, following the recent controversy over the comments of the actor-turned-politician's comments against pro-Telangana activists. Chiranjeevi had lambasted the Telangana protestors after they threatened to disrupt the release of Komaram Puli, a film that stars his brother and actor Pawan Kalyan.

Chiranjeevi had, on Monday, gone ahead with his dharna despite the police warning, saying that he would not be cowed down by the TSJAC.

The PRP chief told protesters that the APIIC had thrown the rule book away and allotted thousands of acres of prime land to unscrupulous real estate businessmen and industrial houses.

Chiranjeevi pointed out to the APIIC-Emaar Properties deal, and alleged that this had caused a loss of thousands of crore of rupees to the state.

Calling for a CBI probe into the matter, the PRP chief demanded that the government take all steps to find out the truth and register cases against all those found to be involved in the scam.

Chiranjeevi, along with his party leaders P Ramachandraiah, D T Naik, P Veda Vyas and other activists then tried to enter the APIIC office building, when they were arrested by the police and shifted to Goshamahal police station.

Courtesy: INN