Run for Unity a big hit in Vijayawada

A large number of students participating in the Run for Unity in Vijayawada on Sunday.

The Run for Unity organised by Sardar Vallabhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust to mark the death anniversary of ‘Iron Man of India’, from the PWD Grounds here on Sunday evoked tremendous response with thousands of people, including a large number of school and college students, NCC cadets and women, participating in the event.

People converged at the sprawling grounds from the early morning and got themselves registered for the run. Long queues of the aspiring runners could be seen on the ground as they waited for their turn to be allowed to start running in batches. People waved National Flags and most of them wore Run for Unity T shirts and caps provided by the organizers.

Metropolitan Sessions Judge R. Murali, MLAs Malladi Vishnu and Vellampalli Srinivas, BJP leaders D. Umamaheswara Raju, U. Srinivasa Raju and Yerneni Sitadevi, former MP Gadde Rammohan Rao (TDP), veteran journalist Turlapati Kutumba Rao, freedom fighter Karnati Lakshminarayana, Krishna District Olympic Association President K.P. Rao, main organizers A. Nagamalleswara Rao and P. Malakondaiah and other guests flagged off the run around 8 a.m.

About 15,000 persons, including 4,385, who got them registered, took part in the run.

On the occasion, speakers recalled the valuable contribution Sardar Vallabhai Patel had made to national integration and hoped that the SVPRET would spread his message of unity far and wide.

Vallabhai Patel played an instrumental role in the accession of 500-plus ‘Samsthans’ and three Princely States to India, which were till then like ‘countries within the country (India)’. He was a man of vision and excellent leadership qualities which are desperately needed these days, the dignitaries observed.

At Machilipatnam

Telugu Desam Party senior leader Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao flagged off the Run for Unity at Koneru Centre in Machilipatnam.

Youth turned up in large numbers and paid glowing tributes to Vallabhai Patel.

Mr. Sobhanadreeswara Rao said that the Run had nothing to do with politics. It was aimed at showing the country’s ‘unity in diversity’ and strengthening the bond of brotherhood among Indians.