YSRCP vows to continue stir for SCS

Visakhapatnam: As a part of ongoing stir demanding the BJP government for Special Category Status, the YSR Congress Party activists staged a rail roko in the city and stopped Palasa passenger to disrupt other trains at Visakhapatnam Railway Station, Gnanapuram entrance, here on Wednesday. Thousands of party activists, including college students, were present in the agitation.

As a precautionary measure, a large number of Railway Protection Force, Government Railway Police and police personnel from the city were deployed to prevent the activists from going to the station. However, with the massive crowd, the activists entered the station and stopped Palasa-Visakhapatnam passenger train for an hour.

The armed forces tried to prevent the activists, but in vain.The leaders, including T Vijaya Kumar, Gudivada Amarnath, Vasmikrishna Srinivas, M Vijaya Prasad, Kola Guruvulu, T Nagireddy and also women wing leaders, entered the railway track and stopped the train.

Later, addressing the crowd, the leaders stressed the need for Special Category Status to the state. The people of Andhra Pradesh are not asking for nay new demand, but only for the listed sops in the Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Bill-2014 Bill, said Vamsikrishna Srinivas. Other leaders T Vijaya Kumar and Gudivada Amarnath said that the protests and agitations would continue till the BJP government announces the Special Category Status and railway zone to the state.

Though the entire state was burning and parties and people belonging to all walks of life are agitating, the TDP is not joining protests to intensify the agitation, they alleged.Pointing out the dual attitude of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Amarnath and Vijayakumar said that the Chief Minister has become a mute spectator to the ongoing agitation.

Vizianagaram: People’s representatives, leaders and cadre of YSR Congress Party participated in the ‘rail roko’ in the city on Wednesday as the part of the protest call given by the party.

Led by YSRCP MLAs P Pushpa Srivani, P Rajannadora and former MLA Botcha Appala Narasaiah, hundreds of party workers rushed to the railway station to disrupt the train services. But the police, along with Railway Protection Force (RPF), prevented the leaders and workers from entering the station.

However, the party workers were able to divert the attention of the security forces and rushed on to platforms Nos 3 and 4, while several of them squatted on the tracks and obstructed two goods trains which were coming from Odisha. The police rushed to the railway tracks and dragged them out.

Later, MLC K Veerabhadra Swamy, along with MLAs demanded that the BJP led NDA government implement the promises which were made to the people of the state during electioneering in the 2014 elections. He said that it was the responsibility of the Union government to fulfil the demands and dreams of the people of the state.

This new state should be given Special Status and support it in all aspects for its growth and development, he added.Finally, the police arrested some of the workers of the YSRCP. Later, the railway authorities sent them out and cleared the railway traffic.