TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu continues to rally for Anna Hazare for second day

People rally in support of Anna Hazare on August 17, 2011.

Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu continued his rally for the second successive day. He staged a sit-in at Gandhi statue in Secunderabad and later at Ramgopalpet police station along with hundreds of party workers, bringing the traffic to a standstill for more than three hours. The police arrested him and the party workers and released them later in the evening.

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Lawyers in the Nampally criminal court here boycotted work and staged a protest. Lawyers also struck work in Karimnagar and Mahabubnagar districts.

At Sri Venkateshwara University in Tirupati, a large number of students staged a dharna. In Anantapur and Warangal, the university students took out rallies and burnt the effigies of the government. At a few places, the protesters resorted to road and rail blockade. In Kurnool district, they stopped Mumbai-Chennai Express for an hour.

Protests from across the political and social spectrum were reported from various parts of Andhra Pradesh for the second consecutive day on Wednesday in support of veteran social activist Anna Hazare.

Though the general public and office-going crowds remained nonchalant over Hazare episode, it was mostly students, youth, software professionals and NGO activists, besides of course political party activists who took to streets in Hyderabad and other towns to protest against the Centre's indifferent attitude towards Hazare's fight against corruption.

Even the software professionals and working youth in other offices did not stay away from their job, but resorted to lunch-hour protest demonstrations in support of Hazare. "We will continue participation in the candle-light rallies later in the evening," D Deepa, a software employee said.

However, relay hunger strikes, dharnas, human chain formations and road blockades were reported from different towns of the state. At Indira Park in Hyderabad, activists of the Hyderabad chapter of India Against Corruption continued their fast for the second day at Indira Park.