More than a lakh of people converged on the Swaraj Maidan (PWD Grounds) in the heart of Vijayawada to be part of the second ‘Save Andhra Pradesh’ meeting daring continuous rainfall on Friday, to express their support to the Samaikyandhra movement being led by APNGO leaders.
Leaders of several Joint Action Committees gave a call to all elected representatives from Seemandhra Region to quit their posts and tell the Union government in New Delhi with clarity that they were for a united Andhra Pradesh.
Giving impetus to the Samaikyandhra movement was a call given by Electricity Employees’ JAC leader Saibaba to people to choose between power supply and bifurcation.
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“Please bear with us if we plunge into darkness suddenly at a short notice if the Telangana Bill was okayed by the Union Cabinet,” he said. To make sure people understood his message, he asked them to repeat what they needed – Power or Samaikyandhra, getting the expected reply. He said that they were fully supporting the movement launched by the APNGOs.
The APNGO Seemandhra leader Vidyasagar, who presided over the meeting, asked the politicians to create a constitutional vacuum by resigning from their posts.
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Speakers such as Chalasani Srinivas, advocate Ravi Kumar, Nallamothu Chakravarthi and M.C. Das said that it was the sacrifice of leaders and people alike to keep the State united in the past. If Hyderabad joined Andhra Pradesh, it was Burugu Ramakrishna’s sacrifice to see that AP remained united. A visually-challenged teacher, Gangadhar from Mylavaram, rendered a touching unity song keeping the people glued to their seats.