Rebels bomb Congress MP's home in AP

Maoists bombed Congress parliamentarian V Balashouri's ancestral home in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district early Monday, official sources said.

Police suspect the blast follows the rebels' demand to stop construction work on the Pulichintala irrigation project. Work on the Rs 560 crore project started on Sunday despite threats from the Maoists.

According to the police, about 10 Maoists went to the parliamentarianr's native village -- Mochampadu in Machavaram Mandal -- around 2.30 pm. They asked Balashouri's father Joji Naidu and mother to step out before they placed explosives in a tiffin and left it in the home.

The Maoists escaped with Rs 1.5 lakh. The home was completely destroyed, causing a loss of Rs 9 lakh.

The police suspect Krishnapatti Dalam (armed squad) of the Maoists was responsible for the blast.

Balashouri is a Member of Parliament from Tenali.

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