Students, purohits, and members of Earth Movers’ Association and Student and Political Joint Action Committee on Saturday staged protests at different places urging the government to keep the State united.
Children studying in different schools played ‘kolatam’ in front of the Sub-Collector’s office. They sang songs and raised slogans appealing to the Centre not to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh making Rayalaseema and coastal districts a desert.
Members of Earth Movers’ Association took out a rally with JCBs, which culminated in a human chain at Benz Circle. Formation of separate Telangana State would affect the lives of some lakhs of students and lakhs of acres of fertile lands would go dry, due to irrigation water problem in the remaining two regions, they opined.
Rally by priests
Priests, who organised a rally on Indrakeeladri ghat road, performed a ‘homam’ praying the god to keep the State united. They organised special pujas at Arandal Satram for the well-being of the State. Purohits from different shrines participated in the programme.
Leaders of Student Joint Action Committee took out a rally from Municipal Stadium to Tummalapalli Kalakshetram asking the UPA to withdraw its decision on bifurcation.
The political JAC members, who organised a procession, raised slogans urging the government not to hamper development by dividing the State. The JAC leaders criticised TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu who is taking every care to avoid the utterance of the word ‘Samaikyandhra’ during his ongoing ‘Atmagaurava Yatra’ in Krishna district.
Leaders Devineni Avinash, M. Rajeshwara Rao, Kolunukonda Shivaji, Krishna Rao and others participated. There was a traffic jam at Benz Circle, Sub-Collector’s Office, Tummalapalli Kalakshetram and other junctions due to the protests. Students and staff of various schools and colleges participated in the ongoing protests in the city.