Samaikya agitation turns vigorous on 42nd day

• Nellore Employees’ JAC to block private buses, paralyse work in Central govt. offices
• Nuzvid mandal school teachers take up house-to-house united State campaign

Hyderabad: The Samaikyandhra agitation, which entered its 42nd day on Tuesday, became vigorous with the active participation of employees, students, lawyers and members of educational and traders’ organisations in Seemandhra. They demanded the State’s integrity be retained and withdrawal of the Centre’s announcement on Telangana.

While the IIIT students of Idupulapaya extended their support to the struggle, the others resorted to unique protests like a holding a huge rally (Muslim JAC in Kamalapuram), walking on knees (Anantapur), ‘Samaikya Yagnam’ (by the Akhil Bharata Brahamana Sangham in Madanapalle).

Teachers in rural areas organised awareness programme, girl students staged a play sporting leaders’ masks and agitators held demonstrations using horses and camels. Several Samaikyandhra supporters cleaned autorickshaws and cars to register their protest against the State’s division.

In Nellore the Employees’ JAC announced on Tuesday that its members would block private buses and paralyse work in government offices like LIC, FCI, BSNL, Post and Central Excise. Choppa Ravindra Babu, JAC leader, said this was being done to convey to the Centre the severity of the Samaikyandhra agitation.

Students of IIIT in Idupulapaya, Kadapa district, boycotted classes on Tuesday and expressed solidarity to the agitation. While NGOs took out a huge rally near the collectorate, lawyers and students staged a demonstration. In Kamalapuram Muslim JAC members formed a human chain and offered special prayers after holding a huge rally.

The Students JAC in Anantapur walked on their knees in a unique protest, even as protests were intensified in the district. In Ongole students begged on streets to indicate that their future would be bleak if the State is divided. Members of the District Nayee Brahmana Sangham at the Church centre gave a demo of their ‘kulavruthulu’(professions).

In Dhone, of Kurnool district, the Balija Sangham MSOs organised a huge rally raising vociferous Samaikyandhra slogans and singing songs. Some were dressed as Srikrishna Devaraya. They used horses and camels during a demonstration. School teachers took up house-to-house Samaikya ndhra campaign in Hanumanthulagudem, Mittagudem and Annavaram villages of Nuzvid mandal, in Krishna district.

Students of Palakol, in West Godavari district, presented a play on Samaikyandhra sporting the masks of leaders allegedly trying for the State’s division. Rickshaw workers with hundreds of vehicles participated in a rally in Nidadavol. Teachers in Bhimavaram stood on their knees with black ribbons tied across their moths during a ‘rasta roko’.

In East Godavari district, TDP activists performed ‘palabhishekam’ to NTR’s statue, along with ‘vanta varpu’ and kolatam. Activists of YSRCP cleaned autorickshaws and cars to express support to a united State. About 200 students of Palasa, Srikakulam district, got the tricolor painted on themselves and formed a human chain. In Tekkali the agitators placed 300 sheep on roads and presented traditional East Andhra dances.