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Amaravati farmers complete 1,000 days of stir, begin 61-day yatra
The farmers, including women and elderly people, under the banner of Amaravati Pariraskshana Samithi (Committee to protect Amaravati capital), began the walk along with a specially decorated chariot carrying the idols of Lord Venkateshwara, with Sri Suryanarayana Swamy as charioteer
Around 600 farmers belonging to Amaravati, the capital region of Andhra Pradesh, on Monday embarked on a 61-day padayatra to Arasavilli in Srikakulam district to highlight their demand for a single capital city for the state.
The yatra has been taken up on the occasion of the completion of 1,000 days of their agitation demanding that the Jagan Mohan Reddy government drop the plan to create three capitals for the state and retain the capital city at Amaravati.
Following an order from the state high court, the farmers representing 29 villages forming part of the capital region, began their padayatra from Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple at Venkatapalem, raising “Jai Amaravati” slogans.
The farmers, including women and elderly people, under the banner of Amaravati Pariraskshana Samithi (Committee to protect Amaravati capital), began the walk along with a specially decorated chariot carrying the idols of Lord Venkateshwara, with Sri Suryanarayana Swamy as charioteer. The Samithi engaged priests to perform prayers all through the yatra.
Representatives of various opposition parties, including the Telugu Desam Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, Jana Sena Party and the Communist Party of India, attended the event and flagged off the padayatra at Venkatapalem.
According to Samithi convenor Gadde Tirupati Rao, the padayatra has been designed in such a way that the farmers would walk for at least 15 km every day.
“Our intention is to prove that our demand for retaining the capital city at Amaravati is a genuine one and have the support of people from all the other regions. Our padayatra to Tirupati received an overwhelming response from the people in south coastal and Rayalseema regions,” he said.
He said that during the course of the yatra, the farmers would educate and explain to the people the need to have a single capital city for the overall development of the state.
Heavy security arrangements have been made to ensure that there are no law and order issues during the yatra.
