TRS stages dharna before film studio, leaders arrested

Hyderabad, Jul 30 (UNI) Police today arrested Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders and workers when they staged a dharna in front of Padmalaya studio, owned by veteran Telugu film star Krishna, demanding that the Government take back the land allotted to the actor.

TRS MLAs Harish Rao and Ramlinga Reddy and other party leaders and workers staged a sit-in before the studio in protest against the re-allotment of five acres of land to the studio. Police took the leaders and workers into preventive custody when they tried to barge into the premises.

Speaking to newspersons here, Mr Rao said the State Government had recovered five acres of land, out of nine acres allotted to the studio for its establishment in 1983, after it was sold to another firm last year. The land was, however, again allotted to Krishna, a former Congress leader, during former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's regime.

He alleged that the recovered land given to the studio was being utilised for real estate business. The Government handed over the recovered land to the studio with an intention to use the film star in the 2009 election campaign, the TRS leader alleged.

UNI AP VA GD RL RAI1350