Hyderabad, Dec 13 (IANS) Hyderabad police Sunday arrested Lakshmi Parvathi, the widow of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N.T. Rama Rao, after she launched a one-day hunger strike here to protest the proposed division of the state.

Police have already imposed prohibitory orders in the city to maintain law and order in view of the continuing mass protests in parts of the state.

Talking to reporters, Lakshmi Parvathi demanded that Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu apologise to the people of the state for agreeing to its division.

She said by supporting the division of the state, Naidu had hurt the sentiments of the people. She recalled that TDP founder NTR always stood for a united state of all Telugu speaking people.

Lakshmi Parvathi, who went into political oblivion after the death of NTR in 1996, alleged that Tamil Nadu was behind the conspiracy to divide Andhra Pradesh.

"They want to settle scores with Andhra for walking out of then Madras state," she said.