The Amaravati farmers launched their second leg of padayatra on September 12, marking 1000 days of their protest against three capitals. The farmers are currently walking in the West Godavari district.
They would be passing through the East Godavari, Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram districts before they reach the Sun temple in Arasavalli of Srikakulam district. The farmers have been making provocative statements through their meetings and press briefings as part of the yatra.
The ruling YSR Congress seems to have responded to these provocative statements, at least the gestures they made at Gudivada and the challenges thrown to local MLA Kodali Nani. The ruling party had asked its leaders to create awareness among the people on decentralization plans.
Party general secretary and government advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy had asked the party leaders to organise a wide range of programmes to create awareness programmes in their districts on the three capitals proposal and the decentralisation plans of the government. He had also asked the party leaders to visit nearest temples and offer prayers for the decentralisation.
Accordingly, the ruling party activists have put up flexi banners in support of the decentralisation. They have also put up posters and banners accusing the Amaravati farmers of leading a real estate yatra to support the opposition TDP.
The ruling party leaders are accusing the Amaravati farmers of leading the political battle in support of TDP and thus the yatra had become a political activity.
Looking at all these, political observers smell a law and order problem in the state if the yatra enters Uttarandhra, or even before that. The ruling party held round table conferences on decentralisation plans and is said to have plans to organise more such events.
Responding to this, TDP Rajya Sabha member Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar said that the government would have to hold responsibility if anything happened to the farmers. He said that there is a threat looming large at the farmers. He also alleged that the ruling party was provoking the people against the farmers. He blamed the government too for creating ripples among the people leading to law and order problems.
It is to be seen how the yatra would turn once it enters Visakhapatnam.
