AP Congress chief among others held for protest against rising prices

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Sake Sailajanath and several other leaders were taken into custody in Vijayawada on Friday as they tried to march towards the Raj Bhavan in protest against price rise.

The protest was part of a nationwide call given by the Congress.

The Congress workers, under the leadership of Sailajanath, staged a sit-in at the state party headquarters Andhra Ratna Bhavan and denounced the Central government policies that were pushing up the prices of all commodities.

"That the Central government did not spare taxing even milk and curd denoted how bent it was on fleecing the common people. The Jagan Mohan Reddy regime in AP was equally burdening the people with many taxes, including on garbage," Sailajanath lashed out.

While the Central government's borrowing crossed Rs 150 lakh crore, the regime under Reddy in the state borrowed over Rs 6 lakh crore in three years. "Where is all this money going," the former minister asked.

Sailajanath and others were later taken into custody and shifted to the One-Town police station.

In Guntur, PCC working president Sheik Mastanvali led the protest.

In Kadapa, another working president N Thulasi Reddy organised the demonstration.