NGOs gearing up for ‘Save AP’ meet

Vijayawada: The striking APNGOs are getting ready for the ‘Save Andhra Pradesh’ meeting, scheduled to be held in the city on September 20. This is the second meeting in the State by the NGOs after their successful meeting held in the Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad on September 7. The sprawling Swarajya Maidan grounds is being spruced up for the mega event.

Speaking to the media here on Tuesday, the APNGOs west Krishna unit president and the Krishna Joint Action Committee chairman, A V Sagar, appealed to the people to make the meeting a success as it would mount pressure on the Central government and the Congress leadership to go back on Telangana decision. He asked the people to ensure that at least one person from a family attended the meeting. He said that they were expecting people from all sections besides employees to turn up for the meeting.

He said that the employees and the general public were losing their patience as the Congress ministers in Delhi were not quitting their posts in support of their demand for Samaikyandhra. He said people of all sections were of the opinion that the government would go back on the division issue if the Seemandhra ministers quit the Cabinet. The movement for Samaikyandhra started in Seemandhra region and also in Hyderabad with twin demands of keeping the State united and the Central ministers and MPs quit their posts. He regretted that the MPs and the ministers were indifferent to the demand even as people were fighting for the past 49 days.

“The employees have no salaries. People have no transportation. There is uncertainty all over. But, the Seemandhra MPs and ministers are enjoying their posts,” Sagar lamented. The municipal employees have warned them that they would not clear the garbage in front of the MPs and the ministers’ houses while the electricity employees have threatened to withdraw power supply. He said that the JAC was not responsible if the employees resort to such actions and sought to advise the MPs and the ministers to quit their posts and join the Seemandhra agitation.