Byreddy Rajasekhara Reddy, who founded Rayalaseema Parirakshana Samithi (RPS) for achievement of Seemandhra capital in the Rayalaseema region, on Monday launched a two-day hunger strike.
The RPS president, after garlanding the statue of legendary Srikrishnadeva Rayalu in the morning, went in a procession along with students, party workers and leaders to the Hunger strike camp venue at Gandhi statue at Zilla Parishad Office to begin his fast.
Speaking on the occasion, Byreddy recalled that Rayalaseema region had suffered heavily for agreeing to shift then Andhra capital from Kurnool to Hyderabad at the time of merger of Hyderabad State with Seemandhra region in 1956. As Andhra Pradesh State was being bifurcated, the pre-merger Andhra State capital be shifted back to Kurnool and efforts should be made to develop the region in education, employment and industrial sectors. Alleging that the Rayalaseema region was rendered great injustice due to selfish leaders, Byreddy ridiculed the former for demanding to make Kurnool as the new capital of residuary State for protecting their selfish ends.
The RPS leader said as per the Sribagh Agreement, Rayalaseema region has a right to have a new capital and the backward region should be developed by ensuring the river waters. Pointing out that TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu, YSRCP president Jaganmohan Reddy and outgoing chief minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy were keeping silent over the new capital due to fear that they would not get votes in the Coastal Andhra region. He said the three leaders will remain as Rayalaseema traitors in the history, he added.
Declaring that they would not relent till new capital of residuary State was located in Kurnool, Byreddy said they would launch an agitation for separate Rayalaseema State. Along with Byreddy, RPS central committee members and thousands of students participated in the dharna.
While Union minister Jairam Ramesh, one of the members of Group of Ministers on Telangana, said a committee would be constituted with a tenure of six months to hold consultations and make suggestions for setting up of new capital for residuary State, several leaders from coastal Andhra want the new capital to be set up in their region. While those from Rayalaseema were demanding that Kurnool, which served as capital of Andhra State till 1956, be made new capital, Union Minister of State for Railways Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy and State minister T. G. Venkatesh, who are from Kurnool district, are making a strong bid for Kurnool as the new capital. “Kurnool should be the new capital because Rayalaseema made the sacrifice in 1956 for a united state of Telugus,” said Venkatesh.
CHINTA FAVOURS TIRUPATI
Chinta Mohan, MP from Tirupati, however wants the temple town to be made the new capital. Union Minister for Tribal Welfare Kishore Chandra Deo, who represents Araku Lok Sabha seat wants Visakhapatnam to be made the capital. The Union minister, who remained silent during the Samaikyandhra agitation, is the first to raise the demand that Visakha be made new capital. Several Congress leaders from north coastal region are backing his claim arguing that Visakhapatnam, as the second most developed city after Hyderabad is most suitable to be the capital. They hope this would also spur development in the region, comprising three districts of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam.
The south coastal region, comprising six districts favour Vijayawada as the new capital. Union Minister of State for Petroleum Pannabaka Lakshmi has claimed that the Centre was preparing to develop the capital between Vijayawada and Guntur. State minister K. Parthasarathy said Vijayawada-Guntur stretch has all ingredients for a capital city and argued that there is plenty of government land and an airport. Another Union minister Pallam Raju is reportedly trying to make the Central leaders to select Kakinada as new capital city. (NSS)