Rajya Sabha Member and Telugu Desam Party leader Nandamuri Harikrishna was on Monday arrested by the police at Dharmabad, after he tried to cross the Andhra-Maharashtra border to meet party president N Chandrababu Naidu.
Harikrishna tried to explain to the police that he would meet the TDP president and then return immediately, but his words were disregarded.
The police said that his arrest was a preventive measure since tension is prevalent across both sides of the border.
The activists of the 'Babli Samrakshana Samiti' have stepped up their opposition to attempt by Naidu and his team to visit the site of the Babli Irrigation Project, adding up to the tension.
Harikrishna insisted that he had, "every right to visit his party president, who is in detention".
The Rajya Sabha MP told media persons that the state government had "pawned the self-respect of the Telugu people with the centre".
Harikrishna also condemned the arrest of his party leader.