Lagadapati Arrested In Anumanchipalli

Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal, who had been under house arrest for over six hours, was finally arrested by the police after he emerged from the residence of Devineni Avinash in Anumachupalli village of Krishna district.

Rajagopal, who was leading a huge posse of Seemandhra Congress leaders to meet TDP president Chandrababu Naidu, had locked himself in the residence of Youth Congress leader Devineni Avinash to prevent being arrested. For around six hours, the party's cadre had kept the place surrounded, blocking out the police and only letting in the press.

While under house arrest, he challenged Naidu to face him and the other Congress leaders, and hear out their plea for a united Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, it was also reported that Lagadapati had been trying to speak to the police through the windows of the house.

When the MP finally emerged from his self-imposed house arrest, the police there took him into custody, and are reportedly shifting him to Gannavaram.

Several other Congress leaders had already been arrested earlier today as a preventive measure. These leaders were on their way to meet Chandrababu, who has today begun the coastal Andhra leg of his Vastunna Meekosam Padayatra in Krishna district, in order to protest against the pro-Telangana stance he took during the all-party meet that took place last month.

Maintaining that Naidu was more interested in taking care of his vote bank than his people, Lagadapati had decided to take up a "Kanu Vippu Yatra" as an eye-opener to Naidu.

Rajagopal is scheduled to fly to Delhi this evening to join other Seemandhra leaders going there to appeal to the Congress high command to keep the state united. Getting arrested could've caused a bit of a hitch in his plans.