Protests envelop farmlands

• Farmers flood rail-cum-road bridge in Rajahmundry
• Congress men storm Central office in Vizianagaram
• Students’ bid to end life
• YSRCP leader threatens to target petrol bunks in Tadipatri
• Camp office of TGV and houses of ministers, MP besieged
• Laksha Jana Samaikya Bheri echoes at Chilakaluripet

Hyderabad: Massive rallies of farmers in Godavari districts, storming of central government offices by Congressmen in Vizianagaram, a huge assembly of members belonging to the Reddy community and the besieging of the houses of two State Ministers and that of an MP were the high points of the Samaikyandhra agitation on Monday.

More than 10,000 ryots congregated on the historic rail-cum-road bridge in Rajahmundry. They organized a meeting and let out a war cry against the State’s bifurcation. Traffic was disrupted from 9.30 am to 1 p m. Farmer-members of JACs from Konaseema, East and West Godavari districts and representatives of the AP Agriculture Officers Association took part. The meeting called upon farmers of other districts to form a JAC to fight for a united AP. Women joined the ‘Samaikya Mahila Garjana’. A ‘Rythu garjana’ was organised in Kovvur, West Godavari district.

Traffic jam on NH

A large number of students and agitators participated in the ‘Laksha Jana Samaikya Bheri’ that echoed across Chilakaluripet. Samaikyandhra supporters from neighbouring villages also stormed the National Highway to make the programme a success. Prominent TDP leader Nannapaneni Rajakumari, MLA Prattipati Pulla Rao, JAC leader Samuel and others addressed a meeting held on the occasion.

Suicide attempt

Employees of the Ongole Municipality held a symbolic protest on the road by eating dry fodder. Some of them donated blood. Students, staff and teachers of the Acharya Nagarjuna University in Mangalagiri commenced a 48-hour bandh to protest the ‘indifferent’ attitude of the Central and the State governments to the agitation. Ten ANU Student JAC members went to the top of the Distance Education Department building and threatened to commit suicide by jumping from there. The police persuaded them to come down.

Congress activists picketed the Head Post Office and BSNL office in Vizianagaram, preventing the staff from working. They locked up the premises. Students organised a ‘rasta roko’ against the alleged attack on the Samaikyandhra JAC leaders by Bheemili MLA Avanti Srinivas.

Members belonging to the Reddy community took out a huge rally from Suryamahal to the Seven Roads Junction in Kadapa. Doctors, medical students and paramedical staff of RIMS Medical College formed a human chain at the hospital and Day and Night junctions. They gave ‘shock treatment’ to the effigies of Sonia Gandhi, P Chidambaram, Manmohan Singh, KCR, Digvijay Singh, AK Antony and burnt them.

Anam leads agitation

Nellore rural MLA Anam Vivekananda Reddy led the supporters of united State in forming a human chain at Atmakur bus stand and stopped vehicles by organising ‘rasta roko’. He took part in ‘vanta varpu’ organised by the Employees JAC. Several NGOs held a dharna at the Nellore Railway Station seeking support of the Central government staff to further intensify the agitation.

Teachers, employees and workers, apart from other unions, intensified their agitation in Kavali, Gudur, Naidupet, Sullurpet, Udayagiri, Venkatagiri

NGOs lay siege to houses

In Kadapa, teachers and NGOs laid siege to the houses of Ministers C Ramachandraiah and Mohd. Ahmedullah as well as MP Sai Pratap. They stuck wallpapers on the three houses, with legends asking them to resign before September 18.

Novel stir by RTC staff

Under the aegis of the Puttaparti JAC, the RTC employees staged a novel protest by walking on their knees near the Hanuman Circle. They also pulled buses using ropes. While sitting inside the vehicles, they rendered bhajans favouring Samaikyandhra.

In Tadipatri, YSRCP leader Pyla Narsaiah warned of attacks on petrol bunks if the dealers don’t shut and join the agitation. Tadipatri municipal chairman J C Prabhakar Reddy swept the streets. The RTC employees blocked the private buses of former minister J C Diwakar Reddy. The Samaikyandhra supporters organised a bandh in Rayadurgam. In Kurnool, the Employees’ JAC laid siege to the camp office of minister T G Venkatesh. There was tension when the police tried to block them.

Musical protest in Tirupati

The Nayee Brahman community blocked roads leading to Telugu Talli statue and expressed their solidarity by playing multiple traditional musical instruments. At Phule’s statue, Gowdas climbed an electrical pole. Students of Sri Venkateshwara University staged a novel protest by hanging themselves symbolically. Legislator B Karunakar polished shoes at TUDA.