Chandrababu Naidu falls, suffers minor injuries

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader N. Chandrababu Naidu suffered minor injuries when a makeshift dais collapsed while he was garlanding a statue in Guntur district Thursday, a party leader has said.

The incident took place at Kolakaluru village in Guntur district during Naidu's 'padyatra' (march).

A TDP leader said Naidu escaped with minor injuries to his leg as his security guards tried to hold him as the platform caved in. Doctors were examining the former chief minister and a decision on whether he should continue 'padyatra' would be taken later.

A local TDP leader also sustained minor injuries in the mishap, which occurred when about a dozen people climbed on the small platform as Naidu was garlanding a statue of B.R. Ambedkar.

This is the second time that Naidu has been injured in a similar incident during his march. He received minor back injuries when a dais collapsed during a public meeting at Gadwal in Mahabubnagar district Oct 27, 2012.

Naidu, who launched his state-wide 'padyatra' in October 2012 to interact with people to know their problems, has so far covered 2,000 km.