Now, deeksha for railway zone

Visakhapatnam: TDP is preparing for another edition of protest at Visakhapatnam on July 4. Having scored brownie points with the electorate after Rajya Sabha member CM Ramesh went on 11-day hunger strike for steel plant in Kadapa district, the party now wants to do an encore at Visakhapatnam by taking up the issue of creation of railway zone.

Though the hunger strikes by MPs would be limited to only one day, the party wants to keep alive the spirit of struggle that began at Kadapa and paint the BJP with tarred brush that it had betrayed the state by slipping on the Special Category Status demands and various promises made in the AP State Reorganisation Act.     

The promises include creation of a separate railway zone for AP with Visakhapatnam as its headquarters. To keep the railway zone issue alive, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is reportedly toying with the idea of stretching the protests for one week at least with leaders going on relay hunger strikes. A decision on this count is yet to be taken. As of now, it would be only one-day affair.

Naidu is likely to interact with MPs on Tuesday and tell them how many days the July 4 protest should continue and whether there should be simultaneous protests in the three north coastal districts for railway zone. The TDP Vizag unit is making elaborate arrangements for the deeksha in which all Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha members, Ministers and MLAs from the north coastal districts will take part. The protest would be in front of Visakhapatnam railway station, Gnanapuram entrance.

Deputy Chief Minister and Vizag district in-charge minister Nimmakalaya China Rajappa will be in-charge of the deeksha camp. Party urban leader and legislator Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar visited the venue where the deeksha would be organised. 

As rains are predicted for the next three days, the TDP leaders are taking precautions to ensure that a sudden downpour would not act as a party pooper. The party leaders are planning to mobilise crowds to the venue on the appointed day. LED screens are being set up to telecast Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s address to them from Amaravati.