VIJAYAWADA: The Statewide bandh called by the Left parties on Thursday is likely to hit normal life with the main Opposition YSRC and film star Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena throwing their weight behind it and even the ruling TDP deciding to take out rallies in support of its MPs protesting in Parliament for the expeditious implementation of provisions in the AP Reorganisation Act.
“None of the promises made on the floor of the House and none of the provisions in the Reorganisation Act were honoured by the Central government in last three-and-a-half years. Even in this budget, there were no indications that those promises and provisions would be honoured. We called for a bandh to express the resentment of the people of the State,” K Ramakrishna, CPI leader, said Wednesday. As all trade unions, student unions, teacher unions, youth organisations, and people’s organisations have extended support to the bandh, the CPI leader shot off a missive to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to join hands with them.
Without taking on Naidu, Ramakrishna welcomed the State government’s move to declare Thursday a holiday for educational institutions and stressed that the bandh would be peaceful. Echoing his views, CPM counterpart P Madhu explained that that they had planned demonstrations in Vijayawda and other places.“Everyone is supporting the bandh to condemn the injustice done to the State. There is deep resentment against the Centre. Given the public ire, even the TDP and YSR Congress, which were reluctant to observe Bandh, have changed their stance,” he pointed out.
TDP’s decision to hit the streets came in the evening after YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Pawan Kalyan endorsed the bandh. Jagan, who is in Nellore district as part of his padayatra, has suspended his walkathon for the day and appealed to the people to make the bandh a success. “People should unite for the cause of the state and its future at this hour,” he said. The YSRC MPs like their TDP counterparts have hitherto been protesting in Parliament even while trading charges. Interestingly, Pawan, who held a press conference in the evening, sounded ambivalent on the bandh, observing that it was like torturing oneself and political struggle and peaceful protests must be undertaken to get special category status.
Nonetheless, later he tweeted his party’s support calling upon his supporters to “participate in the bandh, called by political parties to express the anguish and displeasure of the people over the poor budgetary allocations to the State, peacefully and without causing public inconvenience.”With all the other parties coming on the same page, the TDP announced its intention to take out rallies across the State from village and mandal level, to express solidarity with its MPs. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had on Tuesday appealed to the people to exercise restraint and directed the police department to make security arrangements to avoid any untoward incident.
As the ruling and Opposition parties now find themselves more or less on the same page, the BJP finds itself isolated. “It is not proper to say the Central government has done injustice to the State. The bandh and the protests have become a routine affair for political parties to gain political mileage. During previous budgets, when `100 crore was allocated to Polavaram, similar protests were staged. But the fact remains that the project was funded. It is due to the Centre’s help that the State has become power surplus, has better civic bodies and the capital city Amaravati received `2,500 crore. The BJP is more concerned about the development of Andhra Pradesh than any other party,” BJP MLA P Vishnukumar Raju told Express.
He said the party will wait and watch and place facts and figures before the people.
Statewide bandh today
The bandh call given by the Left parties receives YSRC, Jana Sena support. TDP too
will hit the streets to show
solidarity with its MPs. Here is a look at what to expect
School, colleges will remain closed as govt has declared a holiday
Inter practical exams deferred to February 22.
APSRTC buses to be operated depending on the situation
Fuel Filling Stations to remain closed till afternoon
Commercial establishments likely to be closed
Petrol tankers to go off the roads