The main thoroughfares of this fort town, which served as a hub of various historic mass movements of the peasantry in the past, turned into a sea of humanity on Sunday with hordes of people from different spheres of life forming a mammoth human chain demanding scrapping of the Centre’s new agricultural laws.
Pledging their unstinted support to the ongoing agitation by farmers at the Delhi borders, hundreds of people lined up on the main streets of the town as part of the 5-km-long human chain across the length and breadth of the town to espouse the cause of farmers. Rythu Sangeebhava Samiti, an umbrella body of around 100 different organisations of farmers, agricultural labourers, women, students, teachers, journalists, advocates and others representing a cross section of society, organised the human chain.
Rising above political affiliations, a host of senior leaders of various political parties, barring the TRS and the BJP, took part in the programme. The CPI (M) State secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram, the CPI State executive member B Hemantha Rao, the CPI (ML-New Democracy) State assistant secretary P Ranga Rao and others participated in the human chain at Mayuri Centre near the bus stand. The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, along with several cadre of the party frontal organisations, took part in the human chain. Children clad in the traditional attire of farmers staged a novel demonstration to highlight the plight of farmers staging unrelenting protests braving bone-chilling cold at Delhi’s border against the three farm laws. The human chain was organised along the edges of the main streets without disrupting the movement of vehicular traffic from Mayuri Centre to Sri Sri Circle.
The participants comprising members of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and several other organisations held placards with slogans such as ‘Repeal the black laws’, ‘Protect the farm sector from the imminent onslaught of corporate entities’ and ‘Save annadhata (food giver)’.
Noted educationalist I V Ramana Rao, one of the members of the steering committee, along with other organisers supervised the smooth formation of the human chain in conformity to the COVID-19 protocols. Addressing the participants at Pavilion Grounds, the starting point of the human chain, leaders of various political parties and mass organisations alleged that the three new legislations were intended to “surrender” the farm sector to big corporate entities under the garb of reforms.
They vowed to spearhead peaceful protests in various forms until the three farm laws are withdrawn.
