TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu taken into preventive custody at

Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu was on Thursday taken into preventive custody at the airport here for his 'safety' as the ruling YSR Congress workers staged a protest opposing his visit, police said.

Tension prevailed near the airport with the TDP workers repulsing the YSRC activists who tried to block Naidu's convoy.

A notice under Section 151 CrPC was served on Naidu and he was taken into preventive custody "because of his safety and security", Visakhapatnam city Commissioner of Police Rajiv Kumar Meena told PTI.

The Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly was sent back into the VIP lounge inside the airport here.

"He has cooperated with us and agreed to go to the VIP lounge at the airport. Though we initially tried to allow him to go ahead with his planned programme, there were too many numberof protestors and so we decided to take him into preventive custody for his safety," Meena said.

The TDP chief arrived here on Thursday afternoon from Vijayawada en route to Vizianagaram as part of his state-wide Praja Chaitanya yatra.

He was supposed to visit Gopalapatnam and other areas near Visakhapatnam but the YSRC organised a protest opposing his visit.

Calling him "Uttarandhra Drohi" (deceiver of north- coastal Andhra), the ruling party members tried to block the former chief minister's convoy at the airport and squatted on the road.

The TDP workers sought to counter their YSRC counterparts, leading to tension in the area.

The Police Commissioner said there were "no clashes" between workers of the two parties.