Claiming that the first day of the 48-hour bandh in Seemandhra in protest against the Cabinet approval for a separate Telangana was a huge success, the Andhra Pradesh non-gazetted officers association has said that it will intensify the agitation on Saturday by laying siege to the houses of Ministers and MPs from the region.
‘No role in violence’
P. Ashok Babu, president, and other leaders of the association, told a press conference that the employees were not involved in the violence that broke out on Friday, especially Vizianagaram. The trouble was on account of political clashes.
The association will carry on its agitation independent of struggles by political parties.
Mr. Babu asked employees supporting an integrated State not to get disheartened by the Cabinet approval as only an official decision was delivered which will not automatically lead to the bifurcation of the State.
Polls to decide
A lot of work is still left which will be influenced by the results of upcoming elections to five State Assemblies. The government will be forced to reverse its stand after the elections.
He said the nursing and electricity staff on emergency duties and the trade unions of public sector undertakings at Visakhapatnam have expressed readiness to join the NGOs’ strike.
A meeting of the association on Monday will discuss the future agitation. It was, however, decided that the MPs and MLAs give an undertaking publicly to defeat the resolution on bifurcation whenever it is introduced in the Parliament and Assembly. He warned leaders who did not quit their posts that they would face a dismal future.
Ch. Chandrasekhar Reddy, president of RTC employees union, said the RTC employees did not pay heed though a lot of pressure was mounted on them to run the fleet for Brahmotsavam at Tirupati. The crew had no alternative but to continue the strike.
