Hyderabad, July 24 (IANS) Telugu Desam Party (TDP) activists Thursday staged a protest in front of Member of Parliament Manda Jagannatham’s residence, a day after he was expelled from the party for voting for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) governemnt in the confidence motion. Dozens of TDP workers staged a sit-in outside his house here and raised slogans against him for his ‘betrayal’, for voting in definace of the party whip, and for criticising party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu.

They alleged that Jagannatham took a huge sum of money to switch loyalties and demanded that he should resign as member of the Lok Sabha as he was elected on TDP ticket. The protesters also set on fire his effigy.

Mild tension prevailed in the area when some workers of the ruling Congress party gathered to support the MP. Timely intervention by the police averted a clash. Some workers of both parties were arrested by the police.

Jagannatham, who represents Nagarkunrool constituency, was expelled from the party after he defied the party to vote for the government. He met Congress president Sonia Gandhi Wednesday to express his desire to join the Congress party.

The party also served a show cause notice to another MP, D.K. Adikeshavulu Naidu, for defying the party whip. He too had reportedly voted in favour of the government but his vote was declared invalid on technical grounds.

Chandrababu Naidu said that action against the Chittoor MP would be taken after verifying records with the Lok Sabha secretariat.