Relay hunger strikes, rallies, picketing of the house of Union Minister D. Purandeswari and staging of protests at the Gandhi statue against bifurcation of the State, continued on Wednesday also.
Goldsmiths of Old Town area downed shutters voluntarily and took out a rally against bifurcation of the State. Carrying a huge effigy of KCR, depicted as the 10-headed Ravana, and the 10 heads showing the Congress leaders who were responsible for the bifurcation of the State, they raised slogans denouncing KCR and Sonia Gandhi and demanding that the State should remain united.
RTC stir from Aug 12
APSRTC Employees’ Union (EU) Samaikhyandhra Porata Committee convener Valisetty Damodar Rao announced that an indefinite strike would be launched from the midnight of August 12.
He said that the strike notice was given to the Executive Director of Vizinagaram Zone A. Ramakrishna at his camp office here on Wednesday. Mr. Damodar Rao said that 70,000 RTC employees of 123 depots in Seemandhra would participate in the indefinite strike. EU president and secretary P. Satyanarayana and K. Srinivasaraju said that dharnas would be held at all the 27 depots in the zone and hunger strikes would be observed from Thursday.
Around 40 RTC workers voluntarily participated on the fourth day of the relay hunger strike, being organised by the National Mazdoor Union (NMU), as part of the Samaikhyandhra agitation on Wednesday.
Door-to-door campaign
A door-to-door campaign was taken up by the Samaikyandhra Student JAC against bifurcation of the State. The rally was led by JAC leaders Lagudu Govinda Rao and Areti Mahesh. The residence of Union Minister D. Purandeswari was picketed by various JAC groups demanding her resignation. APNGO s JAC, Lawyers JAC and Student JAC activists were among those participated.
A torch rally was organised at Tagarapuvalasa in which Bheemunipatnam MLA M. Srinivas Rao participated. Political JAC State convener JT Rama Rao demanded the resignation of Union Minister Chiranjeevi and joining the Samaikhyandhra protests. Telugu Desam and YSR Congress leaders and activists staged protests at the Gandhi statue. KGH and Andhra Medical College Medical Employees JAC (Government doctors, nurses and class-IV employees) decided to intensify the agitation, according to the State secretary of AP Government Doctor’s Association Pidakala Shyam Sundar.
VSP Employees Congress
He called upon all people’s representatives of all parties in Seemandhra to quit their posts and join the movement to keep the State united.
A decision was taken to form a Joint Action Committee of trade unions in the steel plant at a meeting organised on Wednesday. The meeting felt that employees would be the first victims when the State was divided. They appealed to the government to keep the interests of the people in mind before taking crucial decisions.
