Zeenews Bureau
Hyderabad: YSR Congress Party has called for a shutdown in Andhra Pradesh on Monday to protest the arrest of its leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy in the disproportionate assets case.
YSR Congress party leaders appe=aled to people to observe the “bandh” in a peaceful manner.
The CBI Sunday evening arrested Jagan, as Jaganmohan Reddy is popularly known, after three days of questioning. Police have already sounded an alert across the state to prevent any violence by his supporters.
Prohibitory orders are already in force in Hyderabad, Jagan’s native Kadapa district and other parts of the state.
As a precautionary measure, state-owned Road Transport Corporation (RTC) suspended its bus services in some towns.
Police arrested YSR party activists when they tried to attack a government office in temple town of Tirupati.
Meanwhile, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) said its activists would not allow the shutdown to be observed.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MP Vijayshanti said since the YSR party is opposed to the demand for separate Telangana state, a “bandh” would not be observed in the region.
The CBI made the arrest after questioning the Kadapa MP for three consecutive days. The arrest of 39-year-old Jagan came just ahead of by-polls to 18 Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat in Andhra Pradesh.
Some routing of funds have been detected from tax havens like Mauritius and Isle of Mann, indicating that there were quid pro quo investments in his Sakshi television and Jagriti publications by some companies which were given land in the much sought after Andhra Pradesh Industrial Development Park, they said.
Jagan’s arrest has evoked strong reaction from BJP, which accused the UPA of using CBI “selectively”.
Coming in support of the embattled YSR Congress chief, BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy said, “Here is the Union Government using CBI to selectively choose individuals who are opposing Congress and I think it is a large ploy by Congress to settle scores with those who oppose them.”
Police on Sunday night also took Jagan’s mother and MLA Y S Vijaya and his family members into preventive custody after they resorted to a sit-in in front of the Dilkusha guest house here protesting his arrest.
Vijaya, who led family members including Jagan’s wife Bharati, his sister Sharmila and brother-in-law Anil in the dharna, were taken into preventive custody and sent to their residence.
