Garjanas reverberate on Day 34

Hyderabad: Mass gatherings, including ‘Maha Samaikya Deeksha’ in Tirupati and ‘Laksha Jana Ghosha’ in Dharmavaram, were the highlights on the 34th day of the Samaikyandhra agitation in the Seemandhra districts on Monday. Agitators in Nellore tore the wall posters of new films featuring Pawan Kalyan and Ram Charan to protest the stand of Union Minister K Chiranajeevi on Telangana.

Tirupati: Government employees, including several hundred women, launched ‘Maha Samaikya Deeksha’, organised by the Gazetted Officers JAC. About 2,000 gazetted officers and NGOs of all departments attended the deeksha. Government school teachers, municipal employees and leaders of various JACs joined the stir. In a symbolic protest, private tour operators took out a protest rally with 28 buses. Students organised cultural programmes stressing the importance of an integrated State. A few employees from Telangana expressed solidarity with those on deeksha.

Anantapur: District NGOs JAC president Devaraju said they would organise ‘Ananta Jana Garjana’ here on Tuesday. Teachers held a rally and formed a human chain, along with umbrellas. People from about 10 mandals sat on NH 20 at Kadiri, with stranded vehicles extending to more than three km.

Dharmavaram: A sea of humanity was witnessed at Laksha Jana Ghosha organized by the Samaikyandhra JAC. Road blockades were organized at important junctions. Politicians were deliberately kept away.

Nellore: Miffed at the stance of Union Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi on Telangana formation, the Samaikyandhra Students’ JAC obstructed the birthday celebrations of Pawan Kalyan, ripping off wall posters of ‘Atharintiki Daredi’ and that of Ram Charan’s ‘Toofan’. They raised slogans against the two heroes at theatres.

Vijayawada: Doctors on relay fast for the last 20 days decided to intensify their agitation by conducting ‘Maha Vaidya Garjana’ on September 3. The IMA Vijayawada secretary Dr Vellanki Sridevi told press persons that students, doctors, lab technicians and officers of the medical department would boycott duties and take part in the rally from the IMA Hall to the Sub-Collector’s Office. All Seemandhra IMA office-bearers will meet at 6 pm.

Eluru: The Samaikyandhra JAC called for a 72-hour district bandh from September 3. Educational institutions, commercial establishments, State and Central offices, banks, cinema halls and petrol outlets would be closed. Medical shops and a few petrol bunks would be exempted.

Ongole: Thousands of students, employees, farmers and traders took part in ‘Praja Garjana’ here. They paid tributes to martyrs who sacrificed their lives for Samaikyandhra. Cultural programmes by students of various city institutions attracted attention. Leaders criticised Sonia Gandhi and the CWC for announcing the State’s division and hoped that it would be reversed with the backlash being witnessed in Seemandhra. Former TDP legislator Dr Divi Sivaram launched a ‘padayatra’ from Linga Samudram to the Collectorate.

Visakhapatnam: The Samaikyandhra Medical JAC formed a human chain and disrupted traffic for over an hour. The Congress activists burnt TRS chief KCR’s effigy, raised slogans against him, and organised a dharna at the Gandhi statue. College students also burnt KCR’s effigy. Andhra University Students’ JAC conducted a unique protest by sitting in front of Dr VS Krishna Library and studying on the road. Some NGOs gathered at the Collectorate and organised ‘vanta-varpu’, blocking traffic.

Vizianagaram: The Congress leaders tried to meet TDP politburo member Ashok Gajapati Raju ostensibly to hand over copies of letters that APCC president Botcha Satyanarayana and TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu wrote to the Centre on Telangana. The police, however, prevented them, but the leaders refused to leave. The police tried to mediate and met Raju, who reacted sharply.

He had a verbal duel with them and refused to accept the letters. The Congress leaders raised slogans against TDP, leading to an argument between workers of both the parties. As Raju did not return, the Congress leaders stuck the letters to a nearby tree.