movement still going strong

Kadapa: Even after 47 days of protests here on Sunday, the Samaikyandhra movement is still going strong in the district without showing any signs of abatement. Defying age and gender, thousands of people including children, senior citizens and women were gathering on the streets in large numbers and participating in the agitations carried out by the APNGOs, students, teachers, and other sections of the society.

At the Collectorate, the APNGOs and the teachers were taking part in relay hunger strikes. Students and teachers of the private vocational colleges registered their protest in a novel way by picking up brooms and sweeping the streets. With the brooms, they bashed up the effigy of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Later, after performing puja, they protested by carrying empty vessels.

Speaking to the media here on Sunday, Dr Shailaja, one of the protesters, said if the State was divided, their district would not get even a pot of water to drink. They conducted special prayers to keep the State united and burnt the effigy of Sonia Gandhi. Women in Victory apartment in the city conducted Vanta-Varpu on the road. Later, they formed a human chain at the Yerramukkapalle and raised slogans against Sonia Gandhi. Advocates sat on a relay hunger strike. In Proddutur, employees and supporters of Samaikyandhra took part in relay hunger strikes for six hours at the YVS Municipal High School on Sunday demanding the Andhra Pradesh state of 1956.

The relay hunger strikes were led by Municipal Commissioner Venkata Krishna, Tahsildar Srinivasulu and APNGOs. As many as 1,956 employees took part in the hunger strikes. Students took part in cultural programmes. The APNGOs started a signature campaign in the town and send them to the UPA government to keep the state united. In Kamalapuram, the supporters of Samaikyandhra took part in a bullock cart rally to protest the division of the State. Speaking to the media, the non-Political JAC convener demanded the Union Government to make an announcement immediately on keeping the State united.

In Rayachoti, protests were held in a unique way by the supporters of Samaikyandhra on Sunday. Traders of footwear hung ropes around their necks to register their opposition to the division of the state. They said that they would continue with their agitation till the central government rolls back the decision to divide the state.