AIADMK MLA,workers taken into custody for demo on Bedi visit

More than 200 AIADMK workers, led by an MLA, were briefly detained when they tried to stage a black flag demonstration against Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi to protest against what they called as 'unproductive' field visits.
Bedi had cycled to Muthialpet constituency to ascertain amenities available for the people and to ascertain the status of the yet to be inaugurated market complex there.
AIADMK MLA Vayyapuri Manikandan, who represents the constituency,held up a bottle of 'contaminated' drinking water as he and the workers raised slogans against Bedi, demanding that she go back, saying there was no use of her visiting the area without ameliorating the amenities for the people.

An unfazed Bedi, cycled past the agitators, entered the market complex to see for herself the progress of work there.
Police said the MLA and the party workers were taken into custody and later released.
Later, speaking to reporters, Manikandan said he intended to focus on the drinking water problem in his constituency.

Though a project to make available purified water was sanctioned,the Lt Governor intervened and prevented the drinking water project from being implemented, he alleged.
He also claimed that residents of Muthialpet were irked over the 'negative stand' of Bedi on all developmental works and so a protest was staged against her.

Later, AIADMK MLAs presented a memorandum to Speaker V Vaithilingam at his office, accusing the Superintendentof Police S Venkatasamy of reventing them from focussing on issues in the constituency during Bedi's visit.
The memorandum demanded action against the SP for alleged breach of privilege of the legislator.
Anbalagan later told reporters that the Speaker had assured them that necessary action would be taken by referring the petition to the Privileges Committee.