The movement for a unified State reached a major milestone on Wednesday. It has been 50 days since protests broke out in 13 districts of Seemandhra region, after the announcement of the formation of Telangana by the CWC. People from all walks of life expressed their dissent over the bifurcation decision by organising various programmes and agitations on Wednesday.
To mark the 50th day of the agitation, students of Springdale Public School and Sri Venkateswara Children’s High School organised a novel protest at their campus. To coincide with the number of days of the agitation, fifty students dressed as Telugu Thalli held placards highlighting 50 problems that would arise if the State was bifurcated. They also made 50 different offerings to Telugu Thalli and prayed for a unified Telugu family. Chittoor MP N. Siva Prasad, ex-MLA (Tirupati) M. Venkataramana, Tirupati Cooperative Bank Chairman Pulugoru Murali, City Congress president P. Nagabushanam and other JAC leaders took part.
Members of ‘Salivahana Kummara Sangham’ (potters) made clay pots using the traditional potters wheel at the protest camp of BC JAC at Balaji colony junction. Local legislator B. Karunakar Reddy joined the protest and expressed solidarity.
Students and management of Sree Saraswathi Vidyanikethan organised a rally with traditional instruments like ‘dolu’ and ‘sannayi’ at the protest camp of Tirupati Samaikyandhra JAC near MCT office. Members of Government officers JAC formed a human chain at Ambedkar statue by standing on one leg.
Meanwhile, students of Sri Venkateswara Agricultural College stood together to form the number ‘50’ on their campus as a mark of the 50th day. Teaching and non-teaching staff as well as faculty from Regional Agricultural Research Station extended support to the student’s protests by organising a rasta roko.