Congress, left leaders taken into custody for participating in general strike in AP

Leaders of the Congress, CPI and CPM were taken into custody as they staged a sit-in protest on the highway outside the RTC bus station in Vijayawada on Wednesday as part of the nationwide general strike called by various organisations.

Reports said employees stayed off duties in various public sector undertakings, mostly in Visakhapatnam. Most of the banks remained shut. Rallies were taken out by the Left parties and trade unions in major towns and cities of Andhra Pradesh, opposing the policies being adopted by the Central government.

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In Vijayawada, a rally was taken out from Radham Centre to Lenin Centre. In Machilipatnam too a rally was organised from Koneru Centre. Reports from Tirupati said police prevented youth organisations from carrying the effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a 'shava yatra.'

CPI state secretary K Ramakrishna condemned his arrest and that of CPM and Congress leaders in Vijayawada. "We have called for the bandh only to protest the anti-people policies of the BJP-led Central government but police are displaying overzealousness," he said.

The central trade unions are protesting against labour reforms, FDI, disinvestment, corporatisation and privatisation policies and are also pressing for a 12-point common demands of the working class related to minimum wage and social security, among others.

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