The Seemandhra employees in the Secretariat kept away from their duties for the third day here on Tuesday and continued their lunch hour rallies and dharnas demanding the Congress party to keep the State united.
Resolving to continue the agitation, Secretariat Seemandhra Employees Forum chairman U.M uralikrishna and secretary K.V. Krishnaiah declared that the employees’ protests would not be allowed to be used to serve political interests of any party.
“We will welcome everyone who is supporting us without seeking political mileage and not tolerate the politically motivated speeches of Congress, TDP, YSRC and BJP,” he said.
Several leaders of YSRC including MP Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy and MLAs Praveen Kumar Reddy, Srikanth Reddy and Golla Baburao, all of whom resigned recently came and expressed their solidarity with the employees.
But when Mr. Rajamohan Reddy made the comment that the Congress party took the decision to divide Andhra Pradesh to keep their leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy at bay, employees shouted him down.
The MP quickly realised the mood and apologised.
Meanwhile, TNGOs Association leaders Deviprasad and K. Srinivas Goud criticised the government for its “double standards” in dealing with employees of the two regions.
The Telangana employees were prevented from holding any meetings inside the State Secretariat when they had gone on a six-week-long all people’s strike, but now those from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema have been allowed to do so.
