he bandh called by the YSR Congress (YSRC) on Saturday to mount pressure on the State government for getting Special Category Status (SCS) conferred by the Centre evoked a mixed response in the city.
Left parties, which extended support to the bandh call, took out rallies, criticising the Central and the State governments for ‘failing in delivering on the promises made to people at the time of elections.
RTC runs
skeletal services
Shops and business establishments and cinema theatres remained closed on the M.G Road and the APSRTC operated skeletal services.
The YSRC and Left parties activists squatted at the Pandit Nehru Bus Station and some of them were taken into custody.
YSRC leaders K. Parthasarathy and P. Gowtham Reddy lambasted the State government for not raising its voice against the Centre for ‘its negligence in coming to the rescue of the State which faced an unprecedented crisis post-bifurcation’.
They have also blamed the BJP for the plight of A.P which, they said, was knocking at the doors of the Centre knowing well that it was reluctant to keep its word.
CPM and CPI leaders P. Madhu, Ch. Babu Rao, Y.V. Rao, D. Sankar and D. Kasinath deplored the BJP and TDP for playing with the people’s sentiments and expressed regret that they were not moved by suicides that took place in the last few months.
Guntur district witnessed similar response to the bandh. The Opposition parties staged protests at Sankar Vilas and Lodge Centres in Guntur city.
They warned that the agitation would be intensified if the special category status was not accorded to the State, along with a decent financial package without further delay.
The govt. is not raising its voice against the
Centre for the raw deal meted out to the
State which is facing unprecedented crisis
post-bifurcation
- K. Parthasarathy,
