Telugu Desam Party Chief N Chandrababu Naidu and his son N Lokesh were placed under house arrest while several party leaders, including the party’s members of legislative assembly in Andhra Pradesh, were taken into custody.

The move was in an bid to stop them from organising a protest in the state’s Guntur district against the alleged eviction of villagers. Simultaneously, some leaders of the ruling YSR Congress were also detained in Guntur as they too gave a call for a similar programme to counter the TDP.

The TDP announced that Naidu would be observing a day-long fast inside his riverfront residence at Undavalli here in protest against the police action.

The TDP president wanted to lead a group of people belonging to Palnadu region of Guntur district to a village called Atmakuru.

“I have planned to go to Atmakuru to drop the villagers who were driven out by YSRC men and police back in their village. This is not an agitation but solidarity with the people who are victims of political factionism,” Naidu, who is leader of opposition in the state assembly, said.

Alleging that the TDP was only seeking to create a scene using “paid artistes”, the YSR Congress too gave a call for ‘Chalo Atmakuru’ but police denied permission to both sides and clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 Cr PC.

A large police force has been deployed in Atmakuru and in Palnadu region to prevent untoward incidents.