Tension over arrest of rythu leaders

The city police gave a tough resistance to the 'Chalo Assembly' stir launched by several peasants' unions in the State on Monday.

 Tension prevailed for some time after several Rythu leaders pioneering the agitation were blocked and arrested before they reached the Assembly. The leaders had the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India, Telugu Desam, CPM and Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

 The Rythu leaders affiliated to the All-India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and CPI took up the stir in protest against the alleged the Government neglect of the pending farmers' problems including non-availability of fertilizers, remunerative price for farm produce and fake seeds among other things.

AIKS vice-president Koli Nageswara Rao was among those arrested. Adhra Pradesh Rytu Sangham and Telugu Kisan Morcha had initially given the ''chalo assembly'' call to the farmers to organize a massive dharna in front of Assembly to mount pressure on the state government to resolve their problems.