Visakhapatnam, December 18: The United Andhra agitation, spearheaded by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Andhra University students, continued their fast unto death for the seventh day today.
Congress and Telugu Desam party (TDP) Cadres also took part in the relay hunger strike camps in several rural and urban areas in North coastal districts of Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam of North Andhra Pradesh.
City Police Commissioner N Sambhasiva Rao told UNI here tonight the security had been tightened in the Greater Port City. The students in the steel city stopped the employees from attending their duties.
Lawyers boycotted the District courts. The APSRTC buses plied normally in the city and long distance services were operational as well. Dronam Raju Srinivas along with City Mayor P Janradhana Rao and seven Congress MLAs visited the Andhra University campus to meet the fasting students and expressed solidarity with them.
Andhra University Joint Action Committee (AUJAC) convenor M Prasada Rao said the sole purpose of the Committee was to strive for the preservation of United Andhra Pradesh and resist all attempts to divide the state on narrow regional lines.
He cautioned that the all round development of Andhra would be possible only if it remained united.
He emphasised on the fact that the experience of recently formed smaller states like Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand was not encouraging. Regional backwardness should not be considered as a reason for bifurcation of any state. Dividing the state was not the only way for developing any region and alternate measures should be taken for the development of backward regions.
Andhra Pradesh was formed in the light of Visalandhra movement in the erstwhile Nizam State and all Telugu speaking people came under one State. Now the sacrifices of all those who were responsible for the formation of Andhra Pradesh would be a waste. Efforts should be made to develop the backward areas of Telangana on par with the other parts of the State by a special package, he added.
——-Agencies