Protests on massive scale planned

Vizianagaram: Samaiky-andhra agitators are gearing up to launch full-scale protests on the 50th day of agitation on Wednesday. As the united Andhra Pradesh movement entered the 49th day on Tuesday, the protests continued in Vizianagaram district as people in towns and rural areas voluntarily came onto the roads and staged dharnas, took out rallies, formed human chains and burnt effigies.

The agitation was becoming more and more pronounced in the district headquarters with the leaders of various Joint Action Committees (JACs) and the people staging protests on a massive scale on Tuesday. Scores of people, under the aegis of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), laid siege to the Central Excise office at Vizianagaram and sent the staff out of the building. The agitators then locked the main gate. Raising slogans in favour of Samaikyandhra, the protesters also prevented the staff members from entering the building to attend their duties.

Congress workers staged a unique protest at the RTC Complex by lifting weightlifting plates. On this occasion, the agitators affirmed that they would continue the Samaikyandhra agitation till the Congress leadership reconsidered its decision on bifurcation of the State.

Government and private doctors resorted to a one-day strike on Tuesday. However, they excluded emergency services from the strike. They also organised a one-day hunger strike at Kita Junction in protest against division of the State. The doctors said they would not hesitate to sacrifice their lives for the sake of united Andhra Pradesh. Tuesday’s programme was the first to be launched by the doctors, they said and added that they would organise a series of protests in the coming days.

At Parvathipuram, people took out a massive rally demanding Samaikyandhra. Employees of various departments, under the aegis of Samaikyandhra JAC, organised a huge bike rally. On their part, students took out a bicycle rally in favour of unified State.

At Bobbili, former MLA Tentu Lakshmi Naidu of the TDP began a fast-unto-death in favour of Samaikyandhra. Agitators organised a rasta roko and formed a human chain at Saluru and protesters at Ramabhadrapuram organised Vanta-Varpu and rasta roko. Teachers and students took out an impressive rally at Gajapathinagaram.

Police disrupted the fast-unto-death of Zilla Parishad former chairman Bellana Chandrasekhar at Cheepurupalli, which entered fifth day on Tuesday, and shifted him to the Vizianagaram Government Hospital as his health deteriorated. At Srungavarapukota, students organised protest programmes demanding united Andhra Pradesh. Activists of TDP, Congress and the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) organised protests and dharnas at various places in Kottavalasa mandal.

Meanwhile, all JACs and unions were firming up plans for launching agitations on a massive scale throughout the district on the 50th day on Wednesday. They did not announce any action plan, but called upon the people to participate in the movement on a large scale. They decided to take out massive rallies and disrupt vehicular traffic throughout the district on the 50th day of agitation.