PRAKASAM: The Opposition TDP leaders' cycle rally in Ongole town turned out to be a damp squib with the local cadre not turning up for the event on Monday. This was even after TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu giving a call for a bicycle rally to protest against the hike in diesel and petrol prices. The party district leaders called on the party ranks to participate in the bicycle rally to be held on Monday. However many of the followers were reluctant to participate. The Party which has the cycle as its symbol could not garner even a few cycles for the event and those few who came turned up came in cars and motorcycles. Out of sheer desperation, the TDP leaders called in for children who had cycles and hoisted the TDP flags on their cycles. Party stoles were also given to children to wear around their necks.

Former MLA Damacharla Janardhan arrived and tried to conduct a rally with his meager ‘TDP sena’ consisting of local leaders and children from the party district office on Old Guntur Road. But Ongole DSP Prasad arrived there and disbursed the whole team stating that they had no permission and were shocked to see school children as part of the rally. They sent the children away and questioned the TDP leaders as to how they could conduct a bicycle rally with children who were still studying. At the end of it, Janardhan was left with only one bicycle and he tried to conduct the rally, But that was also thwarted by the police as they had not taken permission and were all sent back to the party office. Rumors are that the TDP cadre promised Rs 300 for each child to come with a cycle and be part of the protest.

The TDP’s presence in the district is slowly waning and activists are moving away from the party. The corona pandemic has also brought in a lull in the party activities here and the fact that all the leaders who enjoyed positions as long as the TDP was in power have disappeared during the Corona crisis. Now with this incident, it is becoming clear that the party is slowly facing an existential crisis in the district.

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