Government employees, who are on strike, activists of the Samaikyandhra movement and Congress workers imposed a bandh to protest against the tabling of the Telangana Bill in Lok Sabha, here on Thursday.
Some activists, who appeared to be in a highly emotional state, got their heads tonsured. The vinyl banner behind the activists getting their head tonsured read, “even if our bodies go to pieces, we will not allow the State to become pieces,”
The agitators went around in groups and prevented APSRTC buses from leaving the Pundit Nehru Bus Station. They even stopped the buses that had left the bus station whereever they were on the roads.
Schoolchildren and college students faced severe inconvenience when the activists closed down their institutions, but there were no buses available for them to go back home. Similarly, several passengers who came to the city to catch connecting buses were stranded at the Pundit Nehru Bus Station.
Those who had work with nationalised banks that opened today after a two-day strike also had a problem when the agitators shut them down. Several Central government offices were also closed down from around noon.
YSR Congress students’ wing leader D.Anji Reddy in a statement said it was not the fiefdom of AICC president Sonia Gandhi to divide Andhra Pradesh. Mr Reddy appealed to the people to extend support to the bandh call given by the YSR Congress to protest against the tabling of the Telangana Bill for the division of the Telugus who have been together for so long on Friday.
Normal life was affected after supporters of YSR Congress Party and Telugu Desam enforced a bandhin solidarity with the call given by APNGO.
Public transport services were disrupted since morning after supporters of YSRC led by city convener Lella Appireddy blocked RTC buses from leaving NTR Bus Station Complex. They went round the government offices and commercial establishments enforcing the bandh. Schools, Colleges and banks remained closed. Most of the schools suspended the mid term examinations on the day.
Mr. Appireddy lashed out at Congress and TDP stating both the parties had lost credibility among the people of the state and accused them of indulging in match fixing with an eye on elections. Supporters of Telugu Desam staged a sit in protest at Sankar Vilas Centre protesting against the T-Bill. The police used mild force to remove them, bundled them into jeeps and took them to Arundelpet police station. They were later released.
Party general secretary Mannava Subba Rao and others were present.
Later in the evening, TDP supporters again came on the roads protesting against alleged attacks on MPs Modugula Venugopala Reddy. They staged a protest at Dr. B.R Ambedkar statue.
