Anti-Telangana protests continue in Rayalaseema, Andhra for second day

Protesters ask the Central Government to reverse their decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh and keep the state united

Anti-Telangana protests and shutdown continued in Rayalaseema and other Seemandhra areas for the second day on Thursday.

Shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed while buses were off the roads for the second consecutive day in all major towns of Seemandhra, as the two regions are called.

Protesters are calling on the Central Government to reverse their decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh and keep the state united.

Anti-Telangana protesters are said to be burning effigies of Congress leaders and calling for the mass resignations of all elected representatives irrespective of their party affiliations to mount pressure on United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government to rescind the decision to create a separate Telangana state.

They have also been raising slogans of 'Jai Samaikya Andhra' or Victory or Support for United Andhra.

Buses of state-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) remained confined to depots in Kadapa, Anantapur, Chittoor and Kurnool districts of Rayalaseema and several parts of coastal Andhra.

Statues of former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were vandalized at some places in both regions.

Protests were continuing in Anantapur, Kadapa, Kurnool, Tirupati, Chittoor, Nellore, Vijayawada, Guntur, Eluru, Kakinada, Rajahmundry, Visakhapatnam, Vijaynagaram and other towns.

In Vijayawada, employees of Vijayawada Thermal Power Station (VTPS) also joined the protest.

The employees' leaders have warned that if the political leaders failed to quit their posts, they would go on strike. The plant meets 40 percent of the state's electricity requirement.

Samaikya Andhra Joint Action Committee (JAC) has called for the shutdown and protests across Seemandhra. JAC leaders said there would be no compromise on united Andhra.