Ruling party factions clash in Kurnool

Tirupati: Factionalism within the

YSRC

came to the fore on Wednesday after Nandikotkur legislator Arthur Toguru and his followers clashed with followers of constituency in-charge Byreddi Siddharth Reddy at a party meeting attended by four ministers and a Rajya Sabha MP at a private hotel in

Kurnool

.

It was learnt that Arthur and Siddharth Reddy entered into an argument when the topic of selection of sarpanches for Nandikotkur assembly constituency came up for discussion during the meeting. Followers of both leaders rushed to the spot and were about to clash but were pacified by the ministers, Rajya Sabha MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy and ruling party legislators of Kurnool district.

After chaotic scenes at the party meet went viral, minister Botcha Satyanarayana lashed out at opposition parties for exaggerating the issue. “There are no differences within the party between any leaders. The TDP, which is staring at an imminent defeat in panchayat polls, is resorting to cheap tactics to divert people’s attention,” said the minister. — Sandeep Raghavan