Andhra Pradesh Non Gazetted Officers Association president P Ashok Babu has called upon the employees not to resort to violence during the agitation.
He made the appeal in the wake of reports that violent incidents took place in Vizianagaram, Kadapa, Anantapur and Guntur districts on Friday, the first day of the 48-hour bandh called by APNGOs in protest against the Union Cabinet’s decision to bifurcate the state.
Speaking to mediapersons here on Friday, Ashok claimed that no employees were involved in the violence in those districts. ‘’It was the result of clashes between different political parties. In Vizianagaram, violence broke out when people tried to barge into the house of PCC chief Botcha Satyanarayana,’’ he explained. When asked about the attack on a transport official from Telangana in Vijayawada, he said he could not comment without verifying facts. Claiming that the Union cabinet’s decision has spurred those who had not joined the strike till now to join it, he said nurses, electricity employees and trade unions of central establishments in Visakhapatnam joined the strike. He said APNGOs and other employee unions would meet on October 6 to decide their next course of action. ‘‘The Union Cabinet’s decision is not final on division. The draft bill can be defeated in the Assembly,’’ he said.
Stating that it was high time political leaders brought pressure on Delhi, Ashok felt that all was not lost yet as the UPA government could change its mind after the Assembly elections in five states. The results of elections in those states will have a bearing on AP bifurcation, he said. Meanwhile, we will bring pressure on the MLAs to make a public declaration that they will vote against division,’’ he said.