Latest news with #ErasuPrathap

Time of India

Srisailam MLA's followers assault former minister, gherao Nandyal MP

Tirupati: The ruling TDP's internal squabbles came to the fore at Atmakur in Nandyal district when followers of Srisailam MLA Budda Rajasekhar Reddy went on a rampage by assaulting former minister and TDP vice-president Erasu Prathap Reddy on Friday. They also gheraoed Nandyal MP Byreddy Shabari. Shabari was scheduled to attend two programmes at Atmakur — the 'Suparipalanaku Tholi Adugu' (first step towards good governance campaign, and a central govt sponsored scheme for physically challenged persons — and had invited Budda Rajasekhar and Erasu Prathap to attend the programmes about three days ago. In the meantime, Erasu Prathap invited Shabari as well as Budda Rajasekhar for breakfast at his Atmakur residence on Friday morning. While the Nandyal MP turned up at his residence, Budda Rajasekhar did not come. When they contacted him, the Srisailam MLA said he had other programmes to attend and couldn't join them. As Shabari was stepping out of Erasu Prathap's residence after having breakfast, hundreds of followers of Budda Rajasekhar, many of them in inebriated state, reached there. They gheraoed Shabari and almost misbehaved with her while raising "MP go back" slogans. A visibly shaken Shabari somehow managed to get into her car and left the place. She also cancelled her scheduled programmes at Atmakur due to the chaos. After she left, the Srisailam legislator's followers stormed into the residence of Erasu Prathap and manhandled him. They also damaged some furniture and windowpanes at his residence. Speaking to TOI, Shabari called the attack on the former minister "uncalled for" and "extremely unfortunate". "It is not clear what instigated the Srisailam MLA's followers to behave like this. It's very sad and unfortunate. There was no question of sidelining him because I had personally informed and invited him for the official programmes scheduled at Atmakur today," the Nandyal MP clarified. Local police, who were outnumbered when the Srisailam MLA's followers gheraoed Nandyal MP and attacked Erasu Prathap, later called for additional forces to contain the situation.