Bandh peaceful, hits normal life.

​Anantapur: The Statewide bandh on Tuesday spearheaded by the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and supported by the Congress party and the communist parties CPI and the CPM, aimed at exerting pressure on the Central government to accede to the people’s demand for according Special Category Status (SCS) for Andhra Pradesh, was incident-free and near total.

Hundreds of workers belonging to YSRCP, Congress and the Left parties went round the city in groups, shouting slogans demanding according of SCS for AP and asked traders to down their shutters.

While many shopkeepers kept their shops closed in view of the bandh call by all parties in advance, some, who kept the shops open, fell in line, with all opposition party workers taking to the streets.

Schools, colleges and other educational institutions asked declared holiday on Tuesday in view of the bandh call. Except for medical shops, all the shops and business establishments shut their business for the day.

A cloth merchant Kantilal, who kept his shop closed said that, “we have no reason to oppose the bandh call as the cause is dearer to the people and pertained to the interests of the State”.

Police tightened security at all the crucial government installations including government offices which were closed for the day. The employees were not allowed by the agitators to enter the government offices and vigilant party workers saw to it that even commercial banks downed its shutters for the day.

Although, the ruling TDP party did not participate in the bandh it was sympathetic to the cause and so gave its moral support to the bandh indirectly.

Students of SKU, JNTU and other government colleges too stayed away from classes and supported the bandh call. Student unions affiliated to political parties did participate in the bandh and took out rallies.

Roadside tea vendors did roaring business as hotels and restaurants were closed. One petty trader Kanthamma stated that although small traders were inconvenienced by the bandh call, the cause of our State made us to fall in line. Morever, bandhs and agitations are not new to us, she added.

RTC buses were confined to the depots and traffic was relatively lesser than the normal days. People in tea stalls and tiffin centres were seen discussing politics and subject of SCS.

Many common folk and educated people believe that the Centre is determined to give SCS to the State as Chandrababu Naidu would reap the political benefit even if acceded by the Centre.

“The BJP is thinking more on political lines and is least bothered about the agitations cropping up now and then,” says an engineering student Kamesh.

Reports from Hindupur, Tadipatri, Kalyandurgam, Dharmavaram and Guntakal suggest that the response for the bandh call was good and was also peaceful.

In all the small towns in the district, the Congress, the YSRCP and the Left parties imposed the bandh in close cooperation with one another.

In Anantapur city, YSRCP district president Shankara Narayana, CPI leader Jagadeesh, CPM leader Rambhoopal and Congress district president Kota Sathyam took part in the bandh.

YSRCP MLA Vishveshwara Reddy and former MLA Gurunath Reddy talking to The Hans India had a dig at the Chief Minister for compromising with the Centre for all the two years and now enacting a drama of threatening to sever ties with its ally the BJP.

Police high-handedness flayed

Kurnool: The bandh called by Opposition parties demanding Special Category Status for State passed off peacefully here on Tuesday. But it affected normal life as fuel stations were closed, education institutes declared a holiday, commercial establishments were shut and RTC buses were blocked.

All the passengers, who headed to bus stations in different districts, were forced to change their travel plans as the agitators squatted in front of the stations and disrupted the bus operations.

As many as 984 RTC buses in 11 depots across the district stayed off the roads as protestors squatted in front of the bus stations. However, the bandh was called off after 2 pm and all the services were resumed.

The leaders of Opposition parties blamed the TDP government for failing to exert pressure on the NDA government for sanctioning Special Status for State.

Leaders and activists of the YSRCP, Congress and Left parties who tried to stop APSRTC buses and other vehicles were taken into custody.

YSRCP leaders Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, Gowru Cheritha, Gowru Venkata Reddy and leaders of Congress and Left parties strongly condemned police high-handedness for detaining them at police station.