Hyderabad, Jan 10 (IANS): Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and other leaders of the Andhra Pradesh opposition party were arrested here Tuesday for leading a march to protest the proposed hike in electricity tariff.

Naidu and his party MPs as well as legislators and other leaders were marching towards Vidyut Soudha, headquarters of the Andhra Pradesh Transmission Corporation (AP Transco), when police stopped them at Nagarjuna Cicle in Banjara Hills area.

Tension prevailed for some time as TDP leaders tried to resist the arrests and squatted on the road. Police personnel bodily lifted them to the waiting police vehicles.

Naidu and other leaders were shifted to the Banjara Hills police station and later released.

The TDP leaders had begun the march from NTR Trust Bhavan, the TDP headquarters, but were stopped by police midway while a section of electricity employees held a counter protest at Vidyut Soudha. The employees from Telangana criticised Naidu for his recent visit to the region without making his stand clear on the issue of statehood to Telangana.

The former chief minister condemned the arrests and told reporters that the TDP would continue protests till the government dropped the move to burden common people.

He said the people, especially farmers, were already facing hardships due to shortage of electricity and poor supply system.

According to Naidu, electricity generation and supply system, strengthened by his government, had been completely destroyed by the Congress regime.

The leader of opposition said AP Transco had outstanding loans of Rs.16,000 crore. He alleged that the government was planning to shift the burden to people through the tariff hike.