VISAKHAPATNAM: Members of the non-political Joint Action Committee (JAC) with the support of YSRC leaders are set to organise ‘Visakha Garjana’ in the City of Destiny, in favour of the State government’s decentralised development plan, on Saturday.
The rally, covering a distance of 3.5 km, will be taken out from Ambedkar statue at LIC building to YSR Statue near Park Hotel on the Beach Road and culminate in a public meeting. JAC chairman H Lajipathi Rai on Friday said they are expecting a turnout of one lakh people. A large number of farmers from the region, too, will participate in the rally, he added.
As the farmers’ Maha Padayatra, demanding Amaravati to be made the sole capital of the State, is headed towards north Andhra, members of the JAC decided to launch a counter rally supporting the three-capital proposal.
JAC member Shiva Sankar said ministers from Rayalaseema and south coastal Andhra would participate in the rally to extend their support. Ministers Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, RK Roja, Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, Meruga Nagarjuna, and Jogi Ramesh and former minister Kodali Nani will attend the garjana.
Various cultural troupes and folk dances, reflecting the cultural heritage of the region, will perform during the programme. Meanwhile, the farmers’ Amaravati to Arasavilli walkathon has triggered protests in North Andhra over the past few days.
“As a prelude to the rally, a series of round-table meeting and outreach programmes were conducted to gather the support of people in the region,” Rai said and explained, “We have interacted with people from all sections of society, including youngsters, students, women’s groups, farmers and employees, and have received a very positive response from them.”
Urging political parties from the region to support the rally, the JAC chairman emphasised that the Garjana was being conducted with the sole demand to make Vizag the executive capital. Rai called upon the people to make the programme a roaring success and silence the detractors of decentralisation.
“An opportunity has now appeared for all-round development of the region and everyone should support it,” he asserted. During a press conference, Minister for IT and Industries Gudivada Amarnath said the government will make Vizag the executive capital, despite obstacles created by opponents. “Rayalaseema and North Andhra regions will be at a loss due to centralised adminstration,” he opined.
Amarnath further urged those participating the rally to raise their voice in a peaceful manner to make Amaravati farmers understand their aspirations. “We should thank Amaravati farmers for undertaking the padayatra and creating awareness among the people of north Andhra about the need to raise their voice for development of the region,” he said.
Government whip Karanam Dharmasri stated that parties opposing Visakha Garjana and the people’s aspirations will face political extinction.YSRC leaders termed Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan’s three-day visit to the Steel City a ploy to divert people’s attention from Visakha Garjana. JSP clarified that the actor-politician’s visit was finalised much before the rally was proposed. The party said Pawan’s visit was aimed at strengthening the organisational set up in Uttarandhra.
Over 1,000 cops deployed in Vizag
Police are making elaborate arrangements for the Visakha Garjana that is set to be conducted from 9 am to 12 pm. People can join the rally at four points through the route. As many as 1,038 police have been deployed for bandobust. A total of 18 special police parties will be deployed to ensure peaceful conduct
of the rally and public meet