Samaikyandhra activists enforced bandh of all offices, institutions, and business establishments in the city on Tuesday.
The activists blocked traffic at the points where National Highways entered the city — Ramavarapadu Circle, Gollapadi Y Junction, Kanakadurgamma Varadhi, and Benz Circle — as part of the National Highway blockade.
The APNGOs, along with other Samaikyandhra activists, went round the commercial areas in the city and closed down banks, central government offices, and other establishments.
Educational establishments remained closed for the second day in response to the call given by the State Samaikyandhra JAC.
Vijayawada Municipal Corporation JAC chairman D. Eswar demanded that all MLAs, MPs, and Union Ministers of the Seemandhra region resign to their posts immediately and join the agitation.
The VMC JAC members staged a rasta roko at the Gollapudi Y Junction on the National Highway 9. Forming into a human chain, the traffic on the Hyderabad – Machilipatnam Highway was brought to a halt from 10.30 a.m. to Noon.
Mr. Eswar said the elected representatives who promised to tender their resignation were deceiving the people by following the instructions of their party leaders.
VMC JAC leaders B. Udayabhaskar, Prakash Sagar, Narayana Babu, and K. Rambabu were present.
Demonstrations
The bandh called by the Samaikyandhra Joint Action Committees and the APNGOs’ Association in protest against proposed bifurcation of the State passed off peacefully with thousands of people and activists of various political parties staging demonstrations across the district.
The response was good as educational institutions, banks, shops and other business establishments closed voluntarily as a mark of solidarity with supporters of unified State, who took bike rallies and staged hunger strikes on the 55th day of the anti-bifurcation agitation under the leadership of APNGOs’ and other associations.
The protesters expressed regret that the Congress party kept the issue burning even as crores of people in `Seemandhra’ took to the streets.
They objected to division of the State on political grounds or any other basis citing the long term consequences.
Normal life was paralysed in Guntur city and all major towns as protests continued irrespective of the bandh and those fighting against bifurcation vowed to keep the stir going till the Congress party put brakes on division of the State. There were no reports of any untoward incident due to the presence of a large number of security force personnel.
Complete bandh
A complete bandh was observed in Narasaraopet with all main roads wearing a deserted look. Expressing solidarity with the bandh call given by APNGO association, teachers belonging to various associations took an active part in enforcing bandh.
The otherwise bustling town wore a deserted look for the entire day.
Even petty shops on the Station Road, Gandhi Chowk, Palnadu Road and Clock Tower Centre remained closed. In Tenali too, the bandh totally paralysed normal life. Busy commercial centres like Gandhi Chowk, Bose Road, Main Road and Market Centre wore a deserted look.
