SURYAPET: The differences in the committee heading Suryapet Public Club took an ugly turn during hoisting the national flag on the occasion of Independence Day. Previously, Suryapet public club committee was dominated by Congress. Recently, differences cropped up and another committee was formed with majority members from TRS. With this, the previous Club committee secretary K Vena Reddy approached HC and it directed officials to continue with the old committee till the formation of a new committee.
On Tuesday, the Club secretary and Congress leader Vena Reddy went to Club to hoist the national flag. At the same time, the other group members too reached there to hoist the flag. Heated arguments ensued between TRS and Congress leaders and police rushed to the spot and arrested Vena Reddy and his followers and shifted them to Mellacheruvu police station.
Knowing this, former MLA R Damodar Reddy who was attending I-Day celebrations at Congress party office at Suryapet, sat on a hunger strike demanding the release of Congress leaders at the Gandhi statue located at the centre of Suryapet town. Hundreds of party workers gathered there.Meanwhile, police arrested Damodhar Reddy and tried to shift him to the police station in the vehicle which was prevented by the party workers.
In the melee, Damodhar Reddy fell unconscious and was later shifted to a hospital in Hyderabad. Kodad MLA Uttham Padmavathi condemned the arrest of Damodar Reddy. She alleged that Minister G Jagadish Reddy is misusing power and harassing Congress leaders with arrests. She demanded the release of Congress leaders.