Protests for united Andhra Pradesh intensify

Students, employees and other supporters of united Andhra Pradesh continued protests in the Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions on Tuesday, amid indications that the ruling Congress would take a decision in favour of separate Telangana.

The students' Joint Action Committee, which organised a protest in the port town of Visakhapatnam, demanded that the legislators from the regions resign from their posts to mount pressure on the Centre.

The protesters held a rally in Eluru, the Lok Sabha constituency of Union Minister K S Rao, in support of the united Andhra cause.

In Kurnool, lawyers boycotted courts and held a demonstration. Kurnool is represented in Lok Sabha by Union Minister of State for Railways, K Jayasuryaprakash Reddy.

Students from various educational institutions took out a rally in Vijayawada to protest the proposed bifurcation of the state.

Over 3,000 students including girls from various colleges, under Joint Action Committee banner, led by its convener and youth leader Devineni Avinash staged a 'rasta roko' near the Indira Gandhi municipal stadium in the city for over half-an-hour. The students' JAC asked the Union government not to concede the demand of bifurcating the state made by some political leaders for their "selfish motive" at the cost of crores of Telugu people, Avinash said. They demanded that the people's representatives from all political parties should resign from their posts as token protest against the proposed bifurcation.

A number of public and private sector employees from various organisations, trade union leaders and some advocates also joined the rally to support the students.

Amid mounting pressure from both pro and anti-Telangana leaders, the crucial Congress working committee is meeting o take a final call on the separate statehood issue.