Protest for merger of 5 AP gram panchayats with TS intensifies

Bhadrachalam: Protests for the merger of five gram panchayats of Andhra Pradesh with Telangana intensified as Left and Congress parties' leaders staged borders siege programm and held up traffic for a long time in the temple town on Friday.

All parties had made a call to siege the border of temple town Bhadrachalam. A large number of Left and Congress party leaders and workers participated in the protest programme. The leaders organised Vanata-Varpu programme on at Bridge point on NH 30 which triggered traffic jam for a long time.

Police rushed to the spot and tried to convince the protesters unsuccessfully to stop the protest and allow the vehicle to proceed. A heated argument took place between the police and the Left party leaders. The leaders did not heed to the appeal of the police and continued their protest. Finally, the cops forcibly arrested the Left party leaders and cleared the traffic. Two women leaders got injured in the melee and were shifted to hospital for the treatment. The police registered cases against the leaders and shifted them in separate vehicles to the police station.

Speaking on the occasion, the Left parties' leaders strongly demanded the BJP-led government at the Centre to merge five panchyats of Andhra Pradesh and save temple town Bhadrachalam.

They said that the people living in the five panchayats of Andhra Pradesh have been suffering a lot and are willing to merge with Telangana.

They appealed to the government to honour their demand and immediately merge the panchayats with Telangana. The Left and Congress parties' leaders said that they would meet the Chief Minister of the two Telugu State to solve the issue.

Bhadrachalam MLA Podem Veeraiah and leaders of CPM, CPI, New Democracy and Congress participated in the protest.